The Rich Filling That Boosts The Texture Of Your Grilled Cheese

It is the comfort food of all comfort foods. Cheese upon a layer of cheese melted on the toasted golden slices of bread. It doesn't matter if you use American, provolone, Monetary Jack, Swiss, or cheddar; If you sandwich them between your favorite kind of bread and toast, it is a gooey, delightful grilled cheese sandwich. According to the South Florida Reporter, National Grilled Cheese Day in the United States is April 12. So this spring, if you want to celebrate one of America's favorite sandwiches, rush to the store and buy some bread and cheese. But wait! Grilled cheese sandwiches are never complete without a side of soup. 

Perhaps the most iconic soup to have with grilled cheese is tomato soup, but some people like to enjoy it with other soups such as carrot soup, cilantro soup, asparagus, cauliflower-potato soup, and our all-time favorite, French onion soup (via Chatelaine). But have you ever considered that instead of eating your grilled cheese with soup, you can turn your grilled cheese into your favorite soup?

It isn't as crazy as it sounds. French Onion soup naturally has two of the major components in grilled cheese: bread and cheese. So why not build a sandwich that uses that lovely crusty bread, Gruyère cheese, and caramelized onions to turn this sandwich into a truly French onion soup experience. Former Food & Wine editor Grace Parisi created a French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe worthy of the name. In it, she starts by caramelizing the onions for about 45 minutes.

To caramelize the onions for this sandwich, Living Well says to cut a whole onion into pieces and using butter and sugar, begin to cook on medium heat. Caramelization happens when the sugar reacts with the heat of the onion and begins to break down the starch and sugar in its own flesh, making it soften and brown. The onion then takes on a lush, buttery texture with a sweet flavor that is only enhanced by the creamy, nutty flavor of the Gruyère.

Once all the ingredients are ready, Food & Wine says to spread the Dijon mustard, add the pickle, and slap the cheese onto some whole grain bread with a heavy helping of the onions to grill. Meanwhile, the Food Network suggests using sourdough bread and adding crispy onions, such as French's.