Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I am a cheese lover. In my mind, there is nothing better than ooey gooey melted cheese on, well, anything. In fact, many of my summer dishes feature cheese prominently. Now, with our summer relocation to the beach in full swing and our afternoons filled with friends and family, I’m finding new and delicious ways to use cheese in fun and unique recipes. We’re topping burgers with it. We’re making wraps. But my absolute favorite summer creation that is beyond perfect for summer picnics is my newly discovered recipe for Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches made with Sargento® Blends™ 4 Cheese Southwest Slices!

So what inspired this amazing sandwich that’s perfect for any summer occasion? The cheese of course! I just discovered Sargento Blends 4 Cheese Southwest Slices at Publix and to say they are amazing is the cheese lover’s understatement of the year! What makes these delicious Sargento Blends so different and delicious is the fact that they combine my favorite cheese varieties in one all-natural slice! I found both the Sargento Blends 4 Cheese Southwest Slices (blends the creaminess of Monterey Jack with Chipotle Cheddar, Colby and Pepper Jack cheese oh my!) and the Sargento Blends 5 Cheese Italian Slices (Mozzarella blended with Romano, Parmesan, Fontine and Asiago cheese) that have just hit the shelves on my recent Publix shopping trip and inspiration immediately hit! While I’ve got quite a few recipes in mind for the 5 Cheese Italian Slices (I’m thinking easy meatball sliders), I decided I wanted to spice up our summer picnics with easy-to-make yet bursting-with-flavor Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches made perfect by the addition of Sargento Blends 4 Cheese Southwest Slices!

Once I tasted this fun summer sandwich that turns the classic grilled cheese on its head and gives it a fresh and fun makeover that’s perfect for summer picnics, I knew I had to share!

The great news is, these Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are so easy to make! You really could just use the Sargento Blends 4 Cheese Southwest Slices with their perfect mixture of flavors but by adding a few simple ingredients, it’s easy to take this sandwich to the next level. To start, I needed to cook my corn and red peppers. After cooking my corn, I diced my red peppers and added them to a pan, cooking them just until they were tender. Then I cut my corn off the cob and mixed it in.

With my red pepper and corn mixture complete, I sliced my avocado and was ready to assemble my sandwich! I started by laying out my pieces of Sourdough bread and topping each one with one and a half slices of Sargento Blends 4 Cheese Southwest Slices.

Next, I spooned on my corn and pepper mixture, adding just enough to add flavor but not so much that my sandwich would fall apart.

Next, I laid my avocado slices on top of my corn and pepper mixture and my Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches were almost ready to cook.

Since I’ve already admitted that I love cheesy, I added more Sargento Blends 4 Cheese Southwest Slices to the top of my sandwich, sprinkled on a little fresh cilantro and finished it off with a second piece of bread.

Then I quickly heated a large skillet to medium-low heat and added my butter to it. After allowing my butter to melt, I placed my Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in the skillet, cooking them slowly so that the bread would brown and the cheese would melt.

As soon as my Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches were perfectly brown on both sides, I removed them from the pan and placed them on a cutting board. Now let me tell you, these sandwiches are hearty and half a sandwich is plenty for one person!

After cutting my Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in half, I stacked them on a serving dish, carried them to the front porch and served them up with an oceanfront view for a summer picnic that was unforgettable.

The minute I laid down my platter of Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, my entire crew was outside ready to eat! With the first bite, I knew I had a hit and better than that, I knew I had created a fun summer meal that’s perfect for beach front picnics or even when we have friends and family stop by for unexpected meals.

While in reality my Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches aren’t anything fancy, they are truly a delicious option for summer picnics that can be made quickly and boast delicious, unexpected flavors that pair perfectly with all of summer’s outdoor fun! They are a perfect grab and go meal that’s easy to offer to kids and adults alike, making this a sure-fire hit for summer picnics that happen anywhere, from the beach to the mountains to any destination in between!

Now that I know I’ve got all of you drooling and ready to whip up this easy sandwich that is absolutely perfect for summer picnics and gatherings, I’ve got some even more exciting news. From July 1st - July 15th, 2018, Publix shopper can use a digital coupon for $0.75 off one Sargento Blends Sliced Cheese! Even better, you can get the same deal in-store on the shelf from July 16th - July 29th, 2018! That means you can give Sargento Blends 5 Cheese Italian Slices and Sargento Blends 4 Cheese Southwest Slices from Publix a try! So mark your calendar, save this recipe and discover the delicious flavor of my Southwest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches yourself!

Now, cheese lovers, tell me which of the Sargento Blends Sliced Cheese varieties you’re most excited to try!