Bacon, Cheddar and Tomato Melts
What’s not to love about these yummy sandwiches? If you don’t like open-faced melts, you can also put a slice of bread on top and turn them into grilled cheeses or paninis. We've made them with both regular and vegetarian bacon and both turned out well! Recipe tester Jen Grosman of Washington, DC, reported, “I served them for lunch to our family plus my in-laws (including Jeff's grandmother) and one of Hannah's friends! They were a unanimous hit (that's 8 people in agreement!).”
Ingredients
- 12 slices bacon (turkey, pork, or meatless)
- 6 slices sourdough bread (use wheat/gluten-free if needed)
- 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine softened
- 4 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced, or use smoked Gouda
- 2 tomatoes sliced
- 1/2 red onion halved and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If using turkey or pork bacon, lay it on a foil-lined baking sheet, put it in the oven while it is pre-heating, and bake it for 15 minutes or until nearly crisp. (If using meatless bacon, you can skip this step.)
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Spread each side of the bread lightly with the butter or margarine, about 1/2 tsp. per side.
- Arrange the bread on the baking sheet, and top each slice with a thin layer of cheese, a few slices of tomatoes and onions, and 2 slices of bacon
- Bake them for about 10 minutes for turkey or pork bacon (or 20 minutes for meatless bacon), until the bacon is crisp, the bread is lightly browned on the edges, and the cheese is melted. Cut the melts in half crosswise to serve.
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Cook the bacon if using turkey or pork and refrigerate, slice the bread if necessary, remove the butter from the refrigerator to soften, slice the cheese if necessary and refrigerate, slice the tomatoes and onion.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Add some Dijon or honey mustard on top of the butter before adding the cheese to give it some extra zing.
Tip: While these sandwiches will be tasty with store brands of all the ingredients above, periodically, it’s fun to treat yourself and your family to an upgraded version of an ingredient. For example, in this recipe, you could splurge for freshly baked sourdough bread from your neighborhood bakery or aged Cheddar cheese from the gourmet section of your grocery store or gourmet market.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (with with pork bacon) (% based upon daily values): Calories 317, Total Fat: 17g, 26%; Saturated Fat: 7g, 36%; Cholesterol: 39mg, 123%; Sodium: 748mg, 31%; Total Carbohydrate: 25g, 8.5%; Dietary Fiber: 2g, 6.5%; Sugar: 4g; Protein: 16g
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