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Pizza Grilled Cheese

Pizza sandwich flavor meets melty grilled cheese: crispy, golden bread is stuffed with shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, and pizza sauce, then grilled until gooey. Serve as an easy lunch or kids meal with warm marinara for dipping.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pizza Grilled Cheese
  • 8 slices bread Use sandwich-style bread.
  • 1 Butter for grilling Use enough to generously butter the outside of the bread slices.
  • 2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded Shred fresh or use pre-shredded.
  • 1 cup pepperoni slices Layer evenly so every bite has pepperoni.
  • 0.5 cup pizza sauce Spoon onto the mozzarella layer.
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning Sprinkle over the sauce layer before sealing.
  • 1 Marinara sauce for dipping Warm for dipping at serving time.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Assemble the sandwiches
  1. Butter one side of each bread slice so the outside browns evenly on the grill.
  2. On the unbuttered side, layer mozzarella, pepperoni, a spoonful of pizza sauce, and Italian seasoning in that order for balanced flavor.
  3. Top each filling layer with a second bread slice, buttered-side out, to seal the sandwich for melting cheese.
Grill
  1. Grill on medium heat (or use a panini press) for 3-4 minutes per side until the bread is golden and the cheese melts.
Serve
  1. Serve immediately with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Notes

Pro tip: Press lightly while grilling to help the filling stay inside and melt fully. Refrigerate leftover sandwiches in a covered container up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat until hot and crisp again. Freezing is not recommended because the bread can soften after thawing. For a gluten-free swap, use gluten-free sandwich bread and grill as directed.