Next Post
20 Minute Garlic Basil Brown Butter Pasta.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Kimchi Grilled Cheese…the slightly grown-up version of everyone’s favorite childhood sandwich. Spicy kimchi, sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh basil, all sandwiched together between two slices of sesame (garlic) buttered sourdough bread. Pan cooked and finished off with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and fresh chives. It might seem like an odd grilled cheese, but trust me, everything about this sandwich is SO GOOD. Think spicy veggies + melted cheese + buttery sourdough bread. Easy to make for lunch or dinner any day of the week.
Welcome back and hello to summertime, right?
Ahh, kind of, but not really…
After a long weekend with a mix of sun and clouds, but not a lot of warmth, I’m really hoping for sunnier skies. Looks like I will have to wait until at least the end of the week, as there is still snow in the forecast for today and tomorrow. Not going to lie, if the weather continues on the way it is, I may need to book an impromptu trip outta town. OMG, if it does not warm up around here I just may lose it. At least I will have some fun days back in the kitchen this week.
Fun question for you, if I high tail it out of Colorado this week, where is the BEST place to go this time year?
Anyway, I’ve had this sandwich in the back of my head for months now. After hesitating for so long, I finally worked up the courage to share it. Lately I’ve been second guessing every single move I make, and over thinking absolutely everything. It’s been driving me slightly insane and making my brain hurt. So this weekend I gave up and decided to give myself a break. I’m kicking off the week with a new mindset, “go with your first thought and don’t think twice”.
We shall see how long this new mindset lasts for me. But the bottom line is that I really want to share this grilled cheese, and I felt like today is the perfect day. We’re coming off a long holiday weekend, probably feeling a little tired, and looking for an easy lunch or dinner. Am I right?
Grilled cheese is the ultimate easy meal. This kimchi grilled cheese is really just the grown-up version of the grilled cheese sandwich we ate as kids. And while I will not say it’s better, because a classic grilled cheese is also so GOOD. I will say that it’s incredibly delicious, and definitely what you need to be making today.
As you can imagine, this is the easiest recipe to create. It takes maybe 15-20 minutes total, requires little to no chopping, and uses just one skillet. Hey, it’s a grilled cheese sandwich, we’re not getting too fancy here, just keeping things good.
Of course, I added some flavor, texture, and color. I mean, it’s me, I hope you would expect nothing less.
First up, let’s talk about this bread. You should use a nice crusty sourdough. No flimsy white bread here, use something good with a nice flavor. Then slather the bread with some garlicky sesame butter. Aka salty butter with a touch of garlic and raw sesame seeds. If you don’t like garlic, no worries, leave it out. But keep the sesame seeds, they toast up as the sandwich cooks in the skillet, and my gosh, they’re delicious.
Now, layer in some cheese. I like a mix of cheddar and fontina. Cheddar is sharp and has good flavor, while fontina is mellow and melts beautifully.
Onto the kimchi. I love Mother in Law’s Kimichi (which I get from Whole Foods). It’s the best I’ve come across, AND this is coming from someone who does not love kimichi. Wait, what? Yes, I don’t really enjoy kimichi…at least not on its own. I can find it to be a bit too intense to enjoy as is. But when sandwiched between cheese and bread…
Very much my preferred way to enjoy kimichi!
Finally, pan cook each sandwich and finish with flaky sea salt and chives. SO EASY. SO GOOD. It’s a touchy spicy, cheesy, loaded with vegetables, fresh basil, and has just the tiniest hints of garlic and salt.
I’m telling you, something about this time of year just makes me want to recreate all the foods of my childhood, but in a grown-up way. So far this year I’ve done chicken fingers, quesadillas, pizza, pasta salad, doughnuts, and peanut butter cup bars. All the foods I loved growing up, especially during the summertime.
And I realize that some of you may find this grilled cheese odd, but if you think about it, it’s just vegetables, cheese, and bread. So nothing that crazy or out of the norm, right? Yes, very normal, very good, and the best part? It’s incredibly easy. Meaning this grilled cheese should be lunch or dinner today.
It’s the obvious choice for the Tuesday following a long weekend. Grilled cheese makes life better!
If you make this kimchi grilled cheese, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch The How To Video:
Sesame Butter Kimchi Grilled Cheese
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 519 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 4 slices thick cut sourdough bread
- 1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Havarti or fontina cheese, shredded
- fresh chives, for serving
- honey, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sesame seeds, and garlic. 2. Spread the outside of each slice of bread with sesame garlic butter. On the inside of half of the slices of bread, spread with Gochujang, then evenly layer the cheeses, kimchi, and basil. Add the top piece of bread, buttered side facing up.3. Place the sandwiches, one at a time, in the skillet and cook until golden on each side, about 3-5 minutes per side. Serve topped with chives, honey, and sea salt.Â
OMG, wow! This is everything I love in one bite: savory, sweet, spicy, crunchy. Definitely a restaurant-worthy sandwich. Thank you for posting this simple, yet flavorful recipe! I just wolfed down a huge sandwich and am thinking about when to make it again.
Thank you so much Maria!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it did not disappoint. The honey was the perfect finish on top. Thanks for another awesome recipe Tieghan <3
Thank you!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Vanessa! I hope you continue to love my recipes! xTieghan
I just made this for dinner and OMG it’s SO good!
This will be a regular recipe for me!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Kayla! xTieghan
Delicious ! Made these tonight for dinner. Couldn’t find any Havarti or Fontina, so just used two kinds of cheddar. It was great!!
Thank you so much Meredith! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
I made this sandwich twice this weekend and now it’s all I can think about when I feel hungry. Something happens to the flavor of the kimchi when it’s warm and mixed with sharp melted cheese and gochujang, and that something gives me hope that this year will turn out OK, covid-19 and all!
Greetings from Sweden!
Wow I am so glad you have been loving this one, Simon! Thank you so much! I hope you are doing well! xTieghan
Wow. This was incredible! I added a pinch of cayenne pepper and put my garlic on the inside. Delicious.
Yum!! I am glad this turned out so well for you Sonja! xTieghan
WOWZA. Just had the last bite and paused my #stayhome tv to say this is the best! Maybe not everyone has gochujang and kimchi on hand, but I did, and it’s really late and I saw this recently on your instagram so it just all came together in a perfect, tasty storm. I’m not sure I can ever have bland grilled cheese again. Really glad I gave this a try. 🙂
SO perfect! It is the best (especially now) that you have all the ingredients on hand! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
Extremely tasty and unusual combination! I used homemade kimchi and homemade sourdough to make it extra special ? 5 stars, for sure!
Thank you so much Summer! xTieghan
this grilled cheese was delish!! i used everything but the bagel seed seasoning blend with butter on my homemade sourdough and cheddar cheese. next time, i’ll add fontina and basil. quarantine cooking. thank you for a great combination!!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you! xTieghan
Going to make this tonight :D. My favorite kimchi that I’ve come across this far (I love Kimchi and have tried a bunch as well) is WildBrine Korean Kimchi (there’s a Japanese one too). It’s SOO good, my bf and I devour it ?. It’s pretty spicy though! I get mine all the time at Sprouts.
https://wildbrine.com/product/korean-kimchi/
Ooo I will have to try! Thank you so much Shannon! I hope you both love this one! xTieghan
Kimchi is commendable, as are all lacto-fermented products; but, my choice is sauerkrout. It’s closer to home, ie, in my refrigerator. The closest kimchi is 25 minutes away in the supermarket.
Hi Aryln! That is just as great! I hope you loved this recipe if you got a chance to try it! xTieghan
This was fantastic! I think it will be hard to do regular grilled cheese ever again. I am not a giant kimchi fan either, though I do love gochujang. I did a relatively simplified version with no garlic, sesame or basil, and not exact proportions of cheese – I imagine it could have been even better if I did! I also used the nyt grilled cheese hack and spread mayo on the outside of the bread (has a higher smoke point than butter). Served with simple roasted broccoli and it was a great quick weeknight meal. Thank you, Tieghan!
Thank you Lauren!! So glad this turned out so well!! xTieghan
This was a hit with my family! The kitchen smelled amazing when making this and the bite did not disappoint! Love the creativity of fusing salt, sweet, fat and heat.
Hooray! Thank you Shay! X Kelly
Excellent sandwich! I think the butter with sesame seeds is brilliant, they get nice and toasty, crunchy. Quick to make and very satisfying.
Thank you so much Melinda! So glad you loved this! xTieghan
I just made made homemade kimchi (which is so easy and I LOVE it!) And am so excited to try this recipe.
I hope you love this recipe, Asta! Thank you! xTieghan