Grown-Up Manchego Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy.
Indulge in a heavenly blend of flavors with our Manchego Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Made with premium Manchego cheese, this gourmet delight boasts a crispy, buttery exterior and a gooey, melty interior that’s sure to tantalize your taste buds. Perfectly paired with a variety of accompaniments, this elevated twist on a classic sandwich is a symphony of savory satisfaction. Try our Manchego Grilled Cheese Sandwich today and experience culinary bliss like never before.
THIS POST HAS BEEN UPGRADED FROM 4/21/15 TO IMPROVE THE READER EXPERIENCE.
Manchego Grilled Cheese is my favorite grilled cheese sandwich. It may look like a fancy grilled cheese but it comes together in a jiffy.
I grew up going to religion classes on Saturday mornings.
When our classes were over, we went home to a lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Tomato soup was from a can, and our grilled cheese was a skinny yellow slice of cheese on buttered white bread. I loved it. Of course, I loved anything drowned in ketchup.
The grilled cheese that we make now is a grown-up grilled cheese. My little person self would probably have turned up her nose.
My big girl self just loves every single layer of the grown-up version of this grilled Manchego Cheese Sandwich. Oh, and it doesn’t need one drop of ketchup to improve its flavor.
What is Manchego cheese?
Castello Cheeses states Manchego cheese is from Spain and made from sheep’s milk. Manchego is aged from 2 months to 2 years. This cheese is a sharp, acidic, and nutty cheese.
Often when you purchase Manchego cheese it will come with a cheese rind. I cut the rind off and store it in my freezer for when I want to add flavor to homemade soups and sauces.
Manchego is a delicious cheese on a charcuterie board or grated over fresh pasta too.
What you may need to make a Manchego Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Panini Press – This is the one that I have. I like that the reversible grates become a griddle and that they can be removed for easy cleaning.
- Slotted Spatula – Also called a fish spatula. I use mine for everything.
Manchego Sandwich Ingredients & Substitutions
- Manchego cheese
- Fresh spinach – arugula is a good substitute that adds a hint of pepper to the sandwich
- Fig jam – honey is a delicious substitute.
- Butter or butter substitute.
- Mushrooms – we used cremini but any mushroom will work
- Onions – yellow onion was our choice but you can use what you like.
- Fresh Thyme or rosemary or a seasoning blend such as Italian seasoning or a Mediterranean spice blend.
- Sherry – or white wine vinegar.
- Bread – we love our sourdough sandwich bread for this recipe. However, any sandwich bread or even a baguette will be delicious.
- Meat – thinly sliced Serrano ham or Proscuitto would make this an amazing grilled meat and cheese sandwich.
How to make a Manchego Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Get a heavy skillet hot and add butter. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook over medium heat until the mixture is browned and caramelized. Remove from the heat and assemble.
Grilled Manchego Cheese Assembly
- Spread butter on the outside of two slices of bread.
- Spread fig jam on the inside of one piece of bread for a slightly sweet sandwich or on both sides if you want it sweeter.
- Add 1/4th of the sauteed mushroom-onion mixture.
- Top the mushroom mixture with fresh spinach.
- Finish with a layer of Manchego cheese
Grill the sandwich with the bread slices buttered side out on a preheated panini maker, grill pan, or hot skillet for approximately 4 minutes on each side or until the bread becomes golden brown.
Manchego Cheese Substitutes
What we love about Manchego cheese is that it’s nutty and buttery and melts well without being really greasy like a cheddar often is. I find that recipes that work with any of the suggested cheeses will make an amazing Manchego Cheese recipe.
So when choosing an alternative to Manchego cheese you’ll want to make sure it’s a good melting cheese. Most soft and semi-soft cheeses are.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Pecorino-Romano
- White English Cheddar
- Jarlesberg
- Gruyere
FAQ’s
Yes, Manchego is a good melting cheese.
No, you do not. You can cook this grilled cheese sandwich on a griddle or in a large skillet.
Yes, you can make this sandwich Vegan by using a Vegan butter substitute such as sun butter or almond butter.
Tips for the Perfect Grilled Cheese with Manchego
The perfect grilled cheese is making sure all of the ingredients are cooked perfectly and finished at the same time. This is how we achieve that.
- Precook the mushroom onion mixture until it’s an al dente.
- Make sure all of the ingredients are “bite-size” so every bite of your sandwich is perfect.
- Slice the Manchego thinly. That will assure that the cheese melts at the proper rate.
- When grilling your manchego cheese sandwich, apply even pressure to the bread whether you’re using a panini maker or a spatula. Harder pressure will press the ingredients from the sandwich, and to light of pressure will make it harder for the ingredients to melt together.
- Once the bread on this sandwich is grilled to a golden brown, you will want to stop cooking this sandwich.
- If the cheese needs a little more melting, you can wrap it in foil and put it in a warm oven for 5 minutes. The foil will stop the bread from cooking and create an “oven-like” environment perfect for melting the cheese.
So, I may not have been great at memorizing my religion, but I aced grilled cheese!
And, the tomato soup was there too, a bumped-up big person version called Easy Tomato Florentine Soup!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
Grown-Up Manchego Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tsp unsalted butter divided
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 yellow onion sliced thinly
- 16 oz mushrooms
sliced
- 2 tbsp cooking sherry
or white wine vinegar
- 3 oz Manchego cheese shaved
- 2 cups Fresh baby spinach stems removed
- 2 tbsp Fig jam or chutney
- 8 slices Sandwich bread of your choice
Instructions
- In a heavy skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add sliced onions and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until browned and caramelized.
- Add sherry and continue cooking until sherry has evaporated. Stir in fresh thyme.
Assembly
- Butter one side of each slice of bread. On the non-buttered side, spread a thin layer of fig jam or chutney on only one slice. Layer 1/4 each of the mushroom-onion mix, fresh spinach, and Manchego cheese. Top with the second piece of bread, buttered side out.
- Place the sandwich in a panini maker or *heated skillet. Cook the sandwich 7 to 10 minutes or until the bread is browned and the cheese is melted.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
If you like this fancy grilled cheese sandwich, here are a few more you may enjoy
- The Best Cuban Sandwich Recipe
- Most Amazing Shrimp BLT Sandwich Recipe
- Toasted Italian Sub Sandwich
- Grilled Caprese Panini
- Spinach Bread with Fresh Spinach
Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!
These look INSANELY good Julie!! Your pics are REALLY good, I find it hard to take good grilled cheese pictures- is it just me? Some things are just harder than others. I loveeeeee mixing up different ways to make grilled cheese and this really looks and sounds SO good, pinning!
Thank you! I am really working on my photography, and there is so much advice out there that I am just trying to learn what works for me. It is hard taking pictures of melty cheese because it likes to get cold and homely! Homely or not it is delicious!
Me toooo Julie…. me toooo.. I’ve been reading all kinds of resources, man, there is always way more that goes into it than meets the eye, right? Well I can definitely see a difference in your photos lately (though they’ve always been good)- so whatever you’re doing is working!
Thank you! I don’t see a thing wrong with yours!
I grew up with the same grilled cheese and good ole Campbell’s tomato soup. Like you I make a grown-up version and make my own soup and use good cheese and bread. Manchego sounds delicious 🙂
Thank you Judi. I like the Manchego. Sometimes some cheese just overpower the other ingredients or melt so quickly that it turns to liquid. Manchego doesn’t.
This is so my brunch for tomorrow Julie! Love it!!
Thank you! It makes enough for a couple meals. I hope you enjoy it Sonal!
I made a version today Julie with baby porrabella, onions, garlic, jalapeños and cheddar.
Will blog with a sour out to you for the inspiration. Loved it!! ❤️
That sounds amazing Sonal! My hubby and I would love the jalapenos addition which goes perfectly with cheddar!
It’s on for Monday with a shoutout for your blog
Thank you Sonal!
Oh gotta love the Manchego!!! I think YOU just made my new favourite grilled cheese.
Almost 1am, and i’m sitting here drooling over your sandwich rather than going to bed 🙂
Ha! Thanks Nicky! Oh my gosh! 1 a.m. I am such a wimp and would be snoozing for sure. 🙂
Wow this looks amazing Julie…. lovely combo… 🙂 🙂
Thank you Chitra! It was indeed yummy!
Yummy! Delicious with olive bread too!
Thank you! Good bread is a must!
Wow that is an amazing sandwich. It’s making me want one for my lunch!
Thanks Dave! We enjoyed them for dinner and then the next day for lunch too!
It looks amazing! I love the combination with mushrooms. What a treat! 🙂
Thanks Ana!
Wow this looks so good! I can imagine it is also jammed with delicious flavours
Thank you Dani! It is so yummy and one that I will make again.
Mrs Fitz would love this!
Thank you Mr. Fitz!
This is absolutely mouth watering Julie 🙂
Thank you Linda!
My favorite cheese, my that sandwich looks good. Nothing like a buttery crisp on the outside melty gooey cheese on the inside. Then you add the mushroom and onion Wow!!!
Thank you! Your are so right about that buttery crisp bread. It just runs that white bread right out of the kitchen. 🙂
Oh I wish you could see me drooling over my keyboard! Yum!
Thank you Lucy! I am so glad you visited! It gave me the opportunity to head over to your amazing blog and pinterest and twitter….
Wow cheesy sandwich looks delicious
Thank you so much! We gobbled them for two days 🙂
Very nice 🙂 we call them toasted cheese sandwiches, or toasties..I never used to know what ‘grilled cheese’ sandwiches were!!
I haven’t had a grilled cheese in months! And I’ve never had a grown up grill cheese like this before. I love fig chutney and what a brilliant idea to use it in a grilled cheese. I am keeping this recipe for sure.
Thank you so much! It is definitely a regular for us.
Wow! The sandwich looks so delectable Julie!! Never heard of Manchego cheese, will try to see if I can get some .
Thank you! My man hero was a Spanish cheese. It’s mild but flavorful at the same time.
Happy Grill Cheese Month!
I’ve always wanted to try Manchego cheese and still haven’t. This sammitch gives me a driving reason!! Looks wonderful.
Thanks Debbie. It’s a great cheese for cheese trays or grilling!
Oh Julie! This looks incredible! So many flavors going on. I would absolutely love this! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I have NO idea how people come up with these months… but I really am glad that there is a WHOLE MONTH to celebrate Grilled Cheese!! 😀
This looks amazing Julie! The flavours in this are just screaming my name 🙂
It’s amazing how our tastes change as we grow up too! I used to be happy with just cheese and Green chilli grilled cheese, but now I LOVE the extra additions!
Thanks Dini! Dini I would love a green chilli cheese! That just sounds amazing! If I even hear of using fig when I was a kid I would have really given the yuck face.
Manchego is so GOOD! I bet this sandwich is fabulous!!
Thank you Jamie! Easy and yummy my favorite ingredients!
This looks so yummy!!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you and thank you for visiting!
Interesting that there is a month for grilled cheese. I do like them though and the bread choice always makes the sandwich more special.
You are right! I used a bakery loaf of tomato herb. Very yummy!
This might come as a surprise to you but I’ve never had melted Manchego! It’s so fabulous on its own, especially the aged varieties, and the one containing rosemary, that I’ve only had it on its own. But this grown up grilled cheese looks wonderful!!!
Thank you Mimi! It was the first time that I had it like this and I’ve been behind the curve I guess because I’ve heard several people have been doing this. So much for originality! 🙂
Julie this looks so fabulous–that fig jam! Consider me converted! It’s funny, but those kid meals are so comforting now! We have been making grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup for a quick dinner and it is so satisfying on a soul level! I dare say, even more than religion class (you totally got hosed on Saturday mornings)! Oh, and I learned a little trick from Bon Appetit and instead of butter, I use mayonnaise on the outside of the bread. So good!
Great idea! I know on the cartoons right?
Julie Manchego Cheese in my absolutely favorite cheese!!! So I love this so much!!! 🙂
Thank you Amy! It was a new try for me and I am glad that I did. It was thick and creamy without turning to liquid. Plus it’s not so strong that you can’t taste everything else.