Caramelized Apple & Gouda Sandwiches
with Cucumber & Grape Tomato Salad
- Milk
- Soy
- Wheat
Relive the glory of the melty, toasty classic with this grown-up take on everyone’s favorite sandwich. The addition of sweet and tangy fig mustard plus caramelized apple and shallot brings surprising new depth to the elevated combo of gouda cheese between slices of buttery toasted sourdough. Complement this rich meal with a fresh side salad tossed in a tangy Italian dressing.
Ingredients
1 unit
Baby Lettuce
1.5 ounce
Italian Dressing
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Dried Thyme
4 slice
Sourdough Bread
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
1 unit
Mini Cucumber
4 ounce
Grape Tomatoes
1 unit
Apple
4 slice
Gouda Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 ounce
Fig Mustard
1 unit
Shallot
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
3 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
-
Wash and dry produce.
-
Halve, peel, and thinly slice shallot. Halve and core apple; thinly slice into half-moons.
-
Heat a drizzle of oil and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot, half the apple, ¼ tsp thyme (½ tsp for 4), and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly tender, 3-4 minutes.
-
Add 2 TBSP water (4 TBSP for 4). Cook, stirring continuously, until water has evaporated, 30-60 seconds; season with pepper.
-
Turn off heat; transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out pan.
-
Place sourdough on a clean work surface. Spread half the slices with fig mustard, then top with cooked apple and gouda. Top with remaining bread to create sandwiches.
-
Melt 1 TBSP butter in pan used for apple over medium heat. Add sandwiches and cook until golden brown on first side, 3-4 minutes.
-
Remove sandwiches from pan; add another 1 TBSP butter. Once melted, return sandwiches to pan and cook on second side until bread is golden brown and cheese melts, 3-4 minutes more. (For 4 servings, cook in batches, adding 1 TBSP butter per side.)
- Meanwhile, trim and discard root end from lettuce; thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Chop leaves into bite-size pieces. Halve tomatoes. Trim and halve cucumber lengthwise; slice into ¼-inch-thick half-moons.
-
In a large bowl, toss lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and remaining sliced apple with dressing. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Halve sandwiches on a diagonal.
- Divide salad and sandwiches between plates and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The apple-gouda-shallot combination won over many who didn't expect to love it; the fig mustard divided opinions, with some preferring a sweeter fig jam instead.
- Ease of prep: Quick and hands-on, this comes together fast with minimal cook time — great for a light weeknight dinner.
- Suggestions: Use two-thirds of the apple in the sandwich and one-third in the salad for better balance; add deli turkey or ham for extra protein if you want a more filling meal. A few found the salad dressing too vinegary — go lighter if you prefer a milder finish.
- Portions: Several reviewers noted one apple wasn't enough for two full sandwiches, and a single slice of cheese left the sandwich feeling light — an extra apple and more cheese make a big difference.
Reviews from our home cooks
This was tasty and easy to make for a grilled cheese. The recipe sounds like it's made by AI, and it didn't say what to do with the onions after sautéing them, just to put the apples in the sandwich. Removing a sandwich to add butter seems a little weird. It turned out good though if you get past the recipe mistakes!
It needs some kind of protein, the apple and Gouda and shallot work together really well, but it still felt like it was missing something flavor wise
The sandwich was delicious, but the salad needs another packet of dressing for more flavor.
Amazing flavors but the proportions were all right. Only got one good sandwich.
Simple and delicious. I recommend. The amount of filling was a bit light.
Much longer than 20 minutes to make, but really delicious.
I would've preferred only fig jam. The mustard fig was too much mustard with the rest of the ingredients. Other than that it was good.
A bit too oniony. I'd do less of the onion and do more cheese.
The apple was not the right choice for this meal. Too mushy. Need something heartier or crispier.
I want a little more flavor from the grilled cheese, but overall really nice!
