Skip The Tomato Soup And Serve Grilled Cheese Sandwiches With Applesauce

Grilled cheese sandwiches are a childhood favorite that never seem to go out of style — and, why would they? Between the crisply toasted bread and gooey cheese filling, the sandwich is the ultimate comfort food. Keep it simple and let bread, butter, and cheese do all the heavy lifting, or experiment with any number or extras. No matter how you craft the sandwich, the biggest conundrum is deciding what should be served against the drool-worthy toastie. While tomato soup may be the traditional answer, we recommend switching out soup and instead serving grilled cheese with applesauce.

Drawing on the classic combo of cheese cubes and apple slices, it's only natural that pairing grilled cheese sandwiches and applesauce would fare just as well together. Much like how a vibrantly zesty tomato soup cuts through the richness of a grilled cheese, applesauce helps create balance. Contrasting the savoriness of the grilled cheese sandwich, sweet applesauce tames the sharpness and saltiness of the cheesy interior and acts as a sort of palate cleanser. In return, the fruity and honeyed qualities of the condiment are enhanced by the umami-riddled grilled cheese, resulting in a more complex bite. Additionally, against the crunchy slices of buttered and grilled bread, the juicy and refreshing applesauce even adds another element of textural variety. 

Despite that any applesauce (chunky or smooth) has the potential to be a great match for a grilled cheese sandwich, there are a few things to consider. For instance, if you're making applesauce from scratch — which is incredibly easy to do — sharper cheeses, such as cheddar or blue, fare better with a sweeter applesauce made with mild apples like Golden Delicious, whereas a nuttier Gouda would fair well with a more tart applesauce of McIntosh apples, and a buttery brie with a citrusy Granny Smith-based sauce. Although we suggest pairing grilled cheese with simple applesauces, you can still play around with flavor. For some extra zest, opt for cranberry applesauce or perhaps a spiced rendition. In fact, you can also modify the condiment slightly by adding in a sprinkle of cayenne to amp up the heat or lean into sweetness with a drizzle of maple syrup.

At the end of the day, there's really no wrong way to serve applesauce with grilled cheese. Feel free to dip the whole sandwich into the blitzed apple condiment with each bite, or make grilled cheese dippers by cutting the sandwich into strips for dunking. You could even add a spoonful of applesauce inside the sandwich for maximum apple richness. Whatever you decide, we're sure that just one bite will be all it takes to make you a devout grilled cheese and applesauce fan.