Grilled cheese sandwiches are great but there’s always room to elevate them. I absolutely love adding caramelised onions to my sandwiches for that sweet and salty combination. Since there’s only three elements to this dish it’s always a good idea to invest in good quality ingredients. Choose any type of bread you like, I would love to use ciabatta but there’s no way to get one where I live unless I bake one myself! Standard sandwich bread and multigrain bread work great as well. The choice is yours. The other big decision is the type of cheese to use. I’ve gone for a mix of sharp cheddar and mozzarella but you could definitely use a mix of gouda, gruyere or goat’s cheese. Just choose a cheese you like to eat!
Non Stick vs. Cast Iron
Caramelized onions are typically made on a cast iron skillet, but I wanted to put my non-stick pan to the test. Not a lot of people have a cast iron skillet at home but almost everyone has a non-stick pan! I know there are a ton of people out there that insist on using a cast iron pan but I think you can get pretty good results with a non-stick pan. Since you’re making it on a non stick, there’s also no need to de-glaze the pan like you would have to while using a cast iron skillet. When caramelising onions, you want to make sure you don’t crowd the pan since the onions begin to sweat then. I like to add the onions in batches to avoid this issue. Onions shrink pretty quickly and suddenly you’ve got a ton more room in the pan, add another batch and repeat until you’re done with all the onions. Keep your pan on low or at the most low-medium heat. If your onions are browning too fast, you can add a little bit of water to bring the heat down. The end result also has some variety in texture, since some of the onions cooked for a bit longer than the others. How long you cook it for is up to you, you can go the whole hour or take it off after 40 minutes; it all depends on how you’re going to use them.
Sandwiches on a Tandoor!
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When I first received the Sanjeev Kapoor Tandoor Ultima I must admit I was a little bit disappointed. It seemed quite similar to a sandwich press and I already had a pretty decent sandwich maker. It did look a lot better than your standard sandwich maker though. For a tabletop tandoor, it’s pretty compact. I had a ton of tandoor recipes to try out but there was no way I wasn’t including a sandwich on the list, hence this recipe!
The biggest plus point of using the tandoor over a sandwich maker is how it helps keep the shape of the sandwich. Ordinarily, you would assemble your sandwich, place it on a sandwich maker, close and lock it. Since you’re forcing it closed, the sandwich gets compressed, loses its shape and more often than not, your filling will come spilling out the sides. The tandoor eliminates all those issues! My sandwiches came out looking picture perfect and I didn’t have to deal with any cheese loss at all.
How much onions and cheese you add is completely up to you. This recipe yields about 1 cup of caramelised onions. Ideally you should be able to make about four standard sized sandwiches with it but it does depend on how large your bread is. I usually love a side of fries with my sandwiches but since this one is cheese heavy, I like to serve it with boiled corn and my current favourite side – air-fried broccoli. Just toss some broccoli florets with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. All it took was 5-6 minutes in my air fryer for a batch of crispy, delicious air fried broccoli!
These sandwiches are also great with a big bowl of soup! Check out some of my favourite soup recipes below!
Caramelised Onion and Cheese Sandwiches
Equipment
- 1 Sandwich Press
Ingredients
For the Caramelised Onions
- 5-6 Large Onions
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- ½ tsp Salt
- 3 Tbsp White Sugar
For the Sandwiches
- 4 Slices Sandwich Bread
- 2 Tbsp Softened Butter
- ½ Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- ¼ Cup Mozzarella
- ½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
Caramelised Onions:
- Prepare the onions by slicing into ½ cm thick slices.
- Heat butter in a large non-stick pan on medium-low heat.
- Add the onions a few handfuls at a time so as to not crowd the pan.
- Once all the onions have been added turn the heat down to low and add the salt.
- Stir the onions occasionally so they don’t burn.
- After 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the sugar over the onions.
- Continue to cook for another 30-35 minutes until onions are caramelised.
Sandwiches
- Turn the tandoor/sandwich press on and allow it to heat while you prepare the sandwiches.
- Grate and mix both types of cheese together.
- Generously butter the outer sides of the bread.
- Add a layer of cheese and grind black peppercorns over it.
- Add an even layer of caramelised onions
- Top with more cheese and black pepper.
- Grill for 2 – 2 ½ minutes on the tandoor/sandwich press or until the tops are golden brown.
- Remove the sandwich with a silicone spatula.
- Serve the sandwich with your choice of sides and enjoy!
