Grilled Onion Grilled Cheese

We had a bit of a Kansas City-inspired dinner on Saturday.  We spent a beautiful day out and about; enjoyed some new-to-us Boulevard beer (highly recommend 80-Acre!) and enjoyed some BBQ chicken.

In addition, we had some grilled onions.  Not grilled like what you are probably thinking, though.  We have great friends who live in Kansas City…the same ones who harvest and process their own deer…the same friends who introduced us to buttermilk pie.   These friends introduced us to the simplest, most amazing side dish that is grilled onions.

They had us over for lunch one day last year and made onions this way: you cut an X almost all the way through the onion; drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper; wrap it in foil and throw it on the charcoal with the rest of your meal.  The onion gets tender, sweet and perfectly flavored from the grill.

Ever since that lunch, whenever we grill, we make onions this way.  So fast forward to this weekend, we did so, and had some leftover.  As I was storing them in the fridge, it occurred to me that leftover grilled onions would be the perfect match for two slices of buttered bread and melty, gooey cheese.

And I was right.  This grilled cheese is my ultimate kind of favorite lunch – crusty grilled bread, provolone cheese and savory, sweet and tender onions.   My new favorite grilled cheese, without a doubt!

Did you think I was going to go through the month of April (National Grilled Cheese month) without posting a grilled cheese?

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Grilled Onion Grilled Cheese

Yield: 2 sandwiches

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 40 min

Grilled caramelized onions, provolone cheese make a perfect grilled cheese for a quick lunch or simple dinner.

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
2 tsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 Tbs. butter
4 slices of sandwich bread (I used sourdough)
4 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Heat the grill (we use charcoal!) Cut off both ends of the onion. Stand it on on of the flat edges and cut an "X" into the onion, trying to to cut all the way though, but almost all the way through. Gently spread apart the layers and tuck small pieces of garlic between the layers.

Place the onion in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Bring up the sides of the foil and close them around the onion. Place in the grill cook for about 20 minutes, until the onion is cooked through and slightly browned on the edges.

Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, break apart the onion layers and click any large pieces in half.

While the onion cools, butter one side of each slice of bread. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place one slice of bread (butter side down) into the pan. Layer on one slice of cheese, top with about half of the grilled onions and then top with another slice of cheese, and then the second slice of bread (butter side up). Repeat with the second sandwich.

Cook the sandwiches for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Cassie's Notes:
We cook onions like this on the grill whenever we use the grill - they make a perfect simple side dish and the grill adds a great layer of flavor. If you aren't planning to use the grill, you can follow the instructions above and bake in a 400 degree oven, or just caramelize an onion in olive oil on the stove-top.