The cheese toastie has got to be one of the most filling and delicious mini meals you can have made in minutes. Everyone has their own secret recipe and we respect that but we just have to share this recipe for anyone that hasn't tried making a cheese toastie this way before.
This cheese toastie is actually a Croque Monsieur without the ham
A croque monsieur is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese which originated in Paris in the early 20th century. This hot sandwich was designed as a quick snack but if you make this right, it's way more than a snack and in fact is more of a mini meal or very hearty breakfast.
To make a traditional croque monsieur you need ham and a croque madame incorporated egg but we think the ham/egg is overkill and we prefer this recipe that uses a variety of cheese instead.
Prep time for this king of the cheese toasties is less than 1 min (however long it takes you to get the selection of cheese out of the fridge and slice it up), while cooking time is around 5 mins.
By the time you're done making this version of grilled cheese/cheese toastie recipe you'll be hooked and no, you don't need a cheese toastie maker to make this. All you need is a non-stick frying pan or skillet.
How many calories in a cheese toastie?
That all depends on how much cheese you ram into the sandwich and which type of bread you use. With this recipe, there is also the butter and olive oil to take into account, which makes the calorie count skyrocket. All we can say is be mindful of the quantity of ingredients you use. If you need to stay full for several hours, then you can load it up but if you just want a hearty snack to get you through to your next mealtime, go easy on all the ingredients.
Ingredients for this cheese toastie recipe
- 2 slices of seeded wholemeal bread
- 3 kinds of cheese of your choice (choose best cheese for melting)
- Knob of good quality butter
- Splash of olive oil
There are only 4 ingredients needed to make the ultimate cheese toastie but the cheese you choose is very important if you want the ultimate in flavour and melt factor.
For this recipe we think using the best cheeses for melting, which include: Gruyère, Jarlsberg and Emmental. If you can't get a nice emmental, try switching that one out for a decent Gouda.
How to make cheese toastie
Prepare your ingredients first by slicing the cheese into thin strips and placing them on one of the slices of seeded bread (do not toast). Seeded wholemeal bread is best for obvious health reasons but it also helps to hold more melted cheese because it's firmer than white bread. Your bread will also absorb less butter and oil if you choose a good quality wholemeal seeded bread.
Once you've layered the cheese on one slice of bread, just place the other slice on top of the cheese to form a sandwich.
Next step is to place a knob of butter in the non-stick frying pan or cast iron skillet and drizzle a bit of olive oil over the butter. The olive oil will stop the butter from burning and will also help to add a crispy outer layer to your bread.
Turn the heat one and when the butter has fully melted and combined with the olive oil, carefully place the cheese sandwich in the centre of the pan.
Get hold of a nice firm fish slice/turner spatula and start pressing down on the sandwich to help the top layer of bread stick to the cheese so that when you flip the sandwich, the whole thing doesn't fall apart.
After about 2 minutes frying on the bottom side and pushing down action from the top, it should be ready to turn over. Grab a fork or knife to help you balance the sandwich when you turn it over with the spatula.
If you manage to do this manoeuvre successfully, you should be looking at a nicely browned top side and a bottom side firmly on the pan and frying away. Just a another two minutes and you're ready to scoop the sandwich out of the frying pan and onto a plate or chopping board.
You are free to tuck in as soon as it cools enough to be handled but why not feed your eyes by getting a bread knife and cutting the sandwich in two to expose all that gooey cheese?
Serving suggestion
All on it's own this is a mighty meal that will keep you full for hours on end. Plus is a vegetarian meal too because we left out the ham, which is supposed to be used in a traditional Croque Monsier.
If you want to add something to offset the guilt of enjoying such a rich and fatty meal, just add some fresh veg on the side such as tomato slice (great with cheese), mushrooms or slices of thinly sliced red onion.
We think you will find that this cheese toastie beats any grilled cheese sandwich you could but from somewhere like Starbucks, Costa or Greggs. So get your apron on and learn how to master this delicious and very simple recipe. Kids will absolutely love tucking into this.
Have a look at the cheesecake recipe above for another really easy way to make a yummy no-bake cheesecake.
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