Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mozzarella, Red Peppers, and Arugula

If you’ve never eaten this riff on a traditional grilled cheese, you’re in for a treat! Sweet and creamy with a crunchy bite of arugula, it’s a wonderfully light grilled cheese to indulge in this fall.

Back when I was writing my cookbook, Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, I had a lot of extra cheese in my house. Like, a lot of extra cheese – usually no less than 10 pounds, all leftovers.

For my husband, who despite being in his forties has the enviable metabolism of a high school student, this has been a blessing. His favorite food from his youth and to this day is a grilled cheese sandwich and I had provided him with an endless supply of ingredients.

Diversity is irrelevant to him. If it has bread and melted cheese, then it’s his favorite. Brie and jam? Did. Manchego and ham? He is with us. Taleggio and leftover bratwurst? Smelly but satisfying. He even bought a panini press so he could feed his habit better and more efficiently.

But all these years later, one particular interpretation catches our eye: mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and arugula. A little sweet, a little peppery, it hits just the right tones for fall.

Roasted Red Peppers: Buy a Jar or Make Them!

Canned, roasted red peppers are generally available fairly cheaply at any grocery store. They are packed in water or oil, and both types are suitable. Just be sure to blot off the excess liquid before preparing your grilled cheese. Trader Joe’s has a nice water-packed version, while Mezzetta makes an oil-packed one that can be found in many stores or bought online.

If you’re an avid gardener and have an oversupply of peppers, or you have a good source at the farmer’s market, you can easily make your own too!

Whatever peppers you use, salt and pepper them once they’re on the sandwich. All foods, including sandwiches, need to be seasoned. Flaky salt is best, but kosher salt will also work. Avoid iodized salt; its metallic Tang Mars taste.

What kind of mozzarella to use?

There are basically two types of mozzarella: fresh or low-moisture. Fresh mozzarella is sold in balls wrapped in brine. Low moisture mozzarella is sold in bricks or pre-shredded and can be found in the dairy section of a store alongside cheddar, jack and colby cheeses.

You should use low-moisture mozzarella (also known as semi-skimmed mozzarella) for this sandwich. It has a saltier taste and better meltability.

If you only have fresh mozzarella, that works too. It doesn’t melt or get as deliciously fibrous as a low-moisture mozzarella, but it still tastes absolutely amazing!

Do you really want to overdo it? If you can fresh burrata, then definitely try it out. Its creamy flavor and texture make it well suited to seeping apart and penetrating deep into bread over high heat.

Simple Substitutions

Grilled cheese sandwiches are all about improvisation. Don’t have any peppers? Use tomato! Think of this as a set of guidelines rather than anything else.

I love the sourdough taste of the bread and it grills so well. But if you don’t have that or want to use a panini press, then focaccia is great too.

The only ingredients I wouldn’t skimp on are arugula, mustard, and spices. Arugula delivers a powerful peppery bite, and the spiciness of the Dijon mustard helps cut through the sugars found naturally in peppers and cheese.

More great grilled cheese sandwiches

• Grilled cheese sandwich with sauerkraut on rye
• Italian grilled cheese sandwiches
• Grilled Cheese BLT
• Grilled cheese sandwich with vegetables, eggs and ham
• Turkey grilled cheese sandwich with pickled onions