Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

So, any other Call the Midwife fans out there? The season finale was last night–and oh my goodness!!! If you haven’t seen that show, you are missing out. It’s my newest love this spring–right up there with jalapeños, both of which are QUITE surprising because I never have liked medical-type shows and I certainly have NEVER been a spice kind of person. But now I crave it. Spice and midwifes. Mhmm.

The inspiration behind this incredibly cheesy, gooey grilled cheese with a kick is one of my absolute favorite restaurants, Scotty’s Brewhouse. Scotty’s is an Indiana chain and if we ever move from Indiana college towns I will be so super sad because pretty much everything there is great. From their waffle fries to their burgers to their salads, I’m just in love. We ate there at the end of April for my birthday and I randomly ordered this Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese. Why? I have no clue–it just sounded good. And it was good. So good in fact that I craved it for days on end, and was disappointed that this, of all times, was a date where Ben agreed to SHARE our entrees. He never wants to do that, but this time… man, what timing! Last week, I finally took it upon myself to recreate it at home. Allow me to introduce you to this masterpiece….!

It is basically grilled cheese to the max. EEEEK! I can’t even describe it any further except to say it’s just awesome and you need to try it, like now. Cheesy, spicy, gooey. What more do you need to know? It has four kinds of cheese–sharp cheddar, Monterrey Jack, cream cheese, AND a pub cheese spread, and it also is amped up with sweet sauteed onions, crisp bacon, and spicy jalapeños! I mean COME ON! I apologize for the excessive use of capitalization and exclamation, but what can you do when something is this amazing?! Have you ever had anything like this before? This isn’t a healthy grilled cheese at all… but you can indulge a little on a Monday. In my case, I’ll be needing it to drown my sorrows about the end of this season of Call the Midwife… but in Ben’s case, he’ll be drowning his sorrows about the fact that the show has been renewed for season three. YAY! [Oh boys and their squeamishness.] Enjoy!

P.S. SHAMELESS PLUG! Please check out and like my new blog Facebook page… pretty please with a cherry on top? And sprinkles? And jalapeños? I started the page back in 2011 but just started using it over the weekend. Ha! Thanks! 🙂

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese [a TPC original, inspired by Scotty’s Brewhouse]
click to print

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced Vidalia onion
• 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced [partially deseeded if desired]
• 4 slices whole wheat bread [or something that’s good for grilled cheese]
• 2 tablespoons softened butter [divided]
• 3-4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened [divided]
• 2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, thinly sliced [divided]
• 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced [divided]
• 3-4 tablespoons cheddar cheese spread [I used Trader Joe’s pub cheese with jalapeños, but I think something like this recipe would work too]  [divided]
• 3 slices of bacon, crisply cooked and chopped  [divided]

Directions:

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add onion and jalapeños, and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft. Stir constantly, and if they start to burn, reduce heat slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.

Next, preheat grill pan or panini press–I used a panini press set on medium.

Butter one side of each piece of bread. Then assemble by spreading a layer of cream cheese on the non-buttered side of one piece of bread, topping with Monterrey Jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, bacon, and half of the onion/jalapeño mixture. Spread the cheddar cheese spread on the non-buttered side of another piece of bread, then place cheese spread on the onion/jalapeño mixture. This leaves the buttered sides on the outside. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Place on grill pan/panini press for about 5-6 minutes so cheese melts and outside gets crispy. Enjoy!

Time: 20 minutes.

Yield: 2 sandwiches.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.