Sun-Dried Tomato & Bacon Grilled Cheese
with Balsamic Arugula Salad
- Eggs
- Soy
- Wheat
- Milk
Nostalgia has a name, and it’s grilled cheese! Relive the glory of the melty, toasty classic with this grown-up take on everyone’s favorite sandwich. The addition of umami-packed sun-dried tomato aioli brings surprising new depth to the elevated combo of mozzarella and cheddar between slices of buttery toasted sourdough. Cap off your meal with a side salad of peppery arugula dressed in tangy-sweet balsamic vinaigrette.
Ingredients
1 ounce
Sun-Dried Tomato Paste
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains: Eggs)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
4 slice
Sourdough Bread
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
White Cheddar Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
5 teaspoon
Balsamic Glaze
2 ounce
Arugula
4 ounce
Bacon
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
2 teaspoon
Olive Oil
3 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • In a small bowl, whisk together sun-dried tomato paste, mayonnaise, and ⅛ tsp garlic powder (¼ tsp for 4 servings) until combined. (Be sure to measure the garlic powder—we sent more!)
Heat a large dry pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 6-10 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Wipe out pan.
• Lay bread out on a clean work surface. • Spread one side of each bread slice with aioli. • Evenly layer half the bread slices with mozzarella and cheddar; top with remaining bread slices, aioli sides down, to form sandwiches.
Add bacon to bread slices along with mozzarella and cheddar.
• Heat 2 TBSP butter and a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium heat. • Add sandwiches and cook, gently pressing with a spatula, until bread is golden and cheese melts, 2-4 minutes per side, adding an additional 1 TBSP butter when flipping. TIP: Work in batches if necessary, adding more butter if needed; lower heat if browning too quickly.
Use pan used for bacon here.
• In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tsp balsamic glaze and 2 tsp olive oil (4 tsp balsamic glaze and 4 tsp olive oil for 4 servings); season with salt and pepper. (Be sure to measure the balsamic glaze—we sent more!)
• Add arugula to bowl with vinaigrette; toss to coat. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
• Halve sun-dried tomato grilled cheese sandos on a diagonal; divide between plates. Serve with salad on the side.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the cheesy, gooey comfort food, but some wanted more intense sun-dried tomato flavor in the aioli 🍅.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, though a few found buttering the bread in the pan messy.
- Suggestions: Consider adding sliced tomatoes under the cheese or using the bacon grease to grill the sandwich for extra flavor.
- Portions: Some found the meal light; adding extra protein or a heartier side could make it more filling.
- Sandwich assembly: For best results, place the aioli side of the bread facing inwards when building the sandwich.
Reviews from our home cooks
OMG! Sooooo delicious! We wanted way more of them. The sauce needs more sun-dried tomato, though. It didn't have much presence. Really cheesy and gooey, comfort food on a different level.
I really liked this a lot. I was so happy to get arugula as every other salad you send is this mixed greens. Super easy and tasty. I would order again.
I absolutely love this recipe! Makes for a great lunch and a quick meal at home. Need more of these!
We loved the simplicity of the meal. We added some grape tomatoes and mozzarella cheese to the salad. Great light meal.
The sun dried tomato mayo, bacon and vinaigrette really have a power dynamic!!! Loved this...
This would have been better with less mayo and more sundried tomato flavor. Also, the garlic butter from the other grilled cheese recipe would have made this a home run. Putting the butter in the pan and then adding the messy grilled cheese was a pain. Just butter the bread before starting. Why make it so messy and complicated. My arugula was wilted and slimy so we threw that part out.
The grilled cheese is exceptional, but just arugula for a side? It tasted good with the balsamic vinaigrette but seems like you're really skimping on the sides.
Love the cheese and spread, but would rather the lettuce be spring or green leaf or something. And would prefer thinner pieces of bacon but I know that might be more unpopular!
Thought I would hate this as I don't like the bread but surprisingly good. Only ate half a sandwich because the bread leaves a weird taste in my mouth but that's a me problem.
Nowhere in the recipe does it mention cooking bacon. Was the aioli side of the bread supposed to be inside the sandwich? Or is that the outside of the sandwich? Overall, it was a disappointing first meal.
