Pizza Grilled Cheese
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Make the best Pizza Grilled Cheese with the most delicious pizza-flavored parmesan cheese crust on the outside and plenty of melty mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and pizza sauce on the inside. This amazing comfort food sandwich recipe is guaranteed to become a new family favorite and it’s easy to make in just 15 minutes!
Why this recipe is the best
After making homemade pizza seasoning, I started thinking about all of different things that I could pizza-fy and my favorite cheesy sandwich came to mind. What could be better than the combination of the two best cheesy carbs out there, pizza and grilled cheese? Not much I tell you!
Now when I started testing this recipe, I didn’t want to just put mozzarella and pepperonis between two slices of bread and call it a day. I wanted to level-up this grilled cheese recipe with the pizza seasoning and that I did! Here’s why this is the best pizza grilled cheese sandwich you’ll ever try!
- Cheese on the inside AND on the outside! In addition to plenty of melty mozzarella cheese inside of the sandwich, this sandwich also has a flavorful parmesan cheese crust on the outside. For this recipe, I combined butter, pizza seasoning, and parmesan cheese to make “pizza butter”. I’m not going to lie, this is one of my greatest inventions to date and you’ll be seeing it in other recipes for sure!
- All the flavors of pizza in just 15 minutes! You can make these grilled cheese sandwiches in less time than it takes to order pizza delivery. This makes the recipe perfect for lunch or an easy dinner anytime!
- You can customize it! If you prefer a veggie pizza, add roasted red peppers or mushrooms, instead of the pepperoni. Prefer cheese pizza, just leave out the pepperonis. Just like a pizza, this grilled cheese sandwich can be customized to your preference!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this pizza grilled cheese recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Sourdough bread – this is my favorite bread for making grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s thick, hearty and can hold up to all of the ingredients in this pizza grilled cheese. The loaf I used has very large slices, so I made two sandwiches with four slices of bread and cut them in half to serve four people. If you’re using a traditional loaf of white bread, you’ll want to use eight slices of bread.
- Butter – you want the butter to be soft so you can easily mix it with the parmesan cheese and pizza seasoning, and spread it on the bread. I recommend placing the butter on the counter at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before starting this recipe.
- Parmesan cheese – you’ll want grated parmesan cheese for this recipe. Kraft parmesan will work great!
- Pizza seasoning – click the link for my homemade recipe. It’s easy to mix up in 5 minutes, and you can make it ahead of time and store it in the pantry. It adds so much flavor to the parmesan butter crust on this sandwich, and to the pizza sauce. If you don’t have time to mix up the seasoning, you can use store-bought Italian seasoning instead.
- Pizza sauce – grab a jar of your favorite pizza sauce or marinara sauce at the grocery store to make this recipe quick and easy.
- Mozzarella cheese – I recommend low-moisture whole milk mozzarella, as it will melt the best in the sandwich and have the best flavor.
- Pepperoni (optional) – feel free to add pepperonis, or another one of your favorite pizza toppings in the middle of the sandwich.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare the pizza butter. Combine softened butter with parmesan cheese and pizza seasoning in a mixing bowl.
- Season the pizza sauce. Combine pizza sauce and pizza seasoning in another bowl.
- Butter the bread. Spread the pizza butter evenly on one side of four large pieces of sourdough bread (or 8 slices of traditional white bread).
- Assemble the sandwiches. Heat a large skillet, or griddle, on the stove top over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place two slices of the buttered bread, butter side down, in the pan. Top with mozzarella cheese, pepperonis, and pizza sauce. Add more mozzarella cheese on top of the pizza sauce, then add the top piece of bread with the butter side facing out.
- Cook the sandwiches. Once assembled in the pan, cook the sandwiches for about 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the crust of the sandwich is golden brown.
Serve the pizza grilled cheese sandwiches with additional pizza sauce on the side for dipping, if you’d like. Or if you’re looking for more of the yummy parmesan flavor, serve them with Garlic Parmesan Sauce for dipping.
Recipe notes
You can omit the pepperonis or replace them with other pizza toppings to make different variations of the sandwich. I like to add roasted red peppers. If using peppers from a jar with liquid, I recommend patting them dry before making the sandwiches. This way, the liquid doesn’t make the grilled cheese soggy.
You could also add sauteed mushrooms for a wonderful umami flavor. Sliced black olives, fresh basil leaves, or caramelized onions could also be added to make the sandwich vegetarian.
These sandwiches are best served hot. For this reason, I recommend only making as many sandwiches as you plan to eat in one setting. Any pizza butter or pizza sauce leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This way you can easily make more pizza grilled cheese sandwiches anytime!
What to serve with it
Pizza grilled cheese is rich, hearty, and so cheesy! It’s an epic comfort food meal, but if you’d like to add some greens to balance it out, I recommend this Olive Garden copycat Italian Salad, or this Caesar Salad recipe.
You can also make this a fun twist on the classic combo of grilled cheese and tomato soup, by pairing the sandwich with this easy homemade roasted tomato soup recipe.
More sandwich recipes
After you try this epic grilled cheese, you should also add these other popular sandwich recipes to your menu!
Pizza Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 slices sourdough bread, or 8 slices white bread (*see notes below)
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons pizza seasoning, divided (click link for the recipe)
- ¼ cup pizza sauce, or marinara sauce
- 8 ounces low moisture, whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 12 pepperoni slices, optional
Instructions
- Combine softened butter with parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon pizza seasoning. Spread it on one side of each piece of sourdough bread.
- Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon pizza seasoning with the pizza sauce.
- Heat a griddle on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once the griddle is hot, add 4 pieces of sourdough bread, with the butter side facing down. Top each slice of bread with ¼ cup mozzarella cheese, a few pepperoni slices, a tablespoon of pizza sauce, and another ¼ cup mozzarella cheese. Place another slice of bread on top with the butter facing out.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip the grilled cheese and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
Notes
- The loaf of sourdough bread that I used to make the sandwiches pictured in this post has very large slices. I made two sandwiches with four slices of bread and cut them in half to serve four people. If you’re using a traditional loaf of white bread, you’ll want to use eight slices of bread.
- Leave the butter on the counter at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before starting this recipe to soften it.
- You can omit the pepperonis or replace them with other pizza toppings to make different variations of the sandwich. I like to add roasted red peppers. If using peppers from a jar with liquid, I recommend patting them dry before making the sandwiches. This way, the liquid doesn’t make the grilled cheese soggy. You could also add sauteed mushrooms for a wonderful umami flavor. Sliced black olives, fresh basil leaves, or caramelized onions could also be added to make the sandwich vegetarian.
Nutrition Facts
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