Sauerkraut Swiss Grilled Cheese

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It was a lazy little Sunday so I thought I would make myself a grilled cheese.  Sauerkraut is a fairly new obsession of mine.  The Reuben sandwich made with Corned Beef, sauerkraut, thousand island and Swiss cheese overtook the greatly understated ham and cheese as my favorite sandwich about a decade ago, but I never liked sauerkraut on anything else.  Being the slow learner I am, it took me 9 years to realize I would probably like grilled sauerkraut on other sandwiches too!

Sauerkraut was something I had hoped to make homemade from the garden last year.  Unfortunately my arch-nemesis the Groundhog and his merry band of skunks and slugs prevented me from accomplishing that task.  Oh well, you can still buy sauerkraut to enjoy!

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This grilled cheese is really good on wheat or oat bread but being a leftover cheeseburger sandwich week I used white bread this time.

Just as you would a normal grilled cheese butter 2 slices of bread and place the first one butter side down in a pan.  Put 1 slice of Swiss cheese on that, and top with 1/3 cup sauerkraut that has been drained of as much liquid as possible.  On the sauerkraut I like a dash of red pepper flakes to spice it up.  Then top with another slice of Swiss cheese.  I love the double cheese in grilled sandwiches as they melt in from both sides holding everything together in cheesy goodness!

I think this goes against tradition, but I place the bread and layer everything before turning the burner on.  Once the sandwich is in the pan, I set heat to medium and let the pan warm up to temperature with the sandwich in it.  I want the inside to get very warm and melt before the outside gets too brown.

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After topping with the last slice of bread, I let it go for about 5 minutes, or until my years of grilled cheese intuition tells me to flip it.  The other side gets 3-4 minutes until browned, and then I am done.

Time to slice, and enjoy, quickly while the sauerkraut is still warm!

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Sauerkraut Swiss Grilled Cheese
Recipe Type: Sandwich
Author: Blogging with Apples
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 1
An easy grilled cheese upgrade with sauerkraut!
Ingredients
  • 2 slices bread
  • 2 slices Swiss cheese
  • 1/3 cup sauerkraut drained
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • butter or oil for bread
Instructions
  1. Butter or oil 1 side of each piece of bread.
  2. In a non-stick pan on stove that is not turned on place 1 slice of bread buttered side down.
  3. Top with 1 slice of Swiss, then sauerkraut, the red pepper.
  4. Place last slice on top and cover with final slice of bread buttered side up.
  5. Turn burner on to medium heat.
  6. Allow to cook 5 minutes until browned.
  7. Flip and allow to cook another 3-4 minutes until browned on that side.
  8. Remove, slice and enjoy!
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Jeff McIntosh

About Jeff McIntosh

Jeff's family lives in his childhood home on a 1/4 acre in town lot. Despite the small space to work with, they have challenged ourselves to produce as much of our own food as possible — and cook it! They document their journey at Blogging with Apples.