Recipe Background
Spiced Grilled Cheese isn't just grilled cheese with some spices thrown in. Oh no, this sandwich goes the extra mile! Melty, spicy, creamy cheese is piled high with homemade curried beef for extra heat and succulent meatiness, all between golden-brown slices of toast! This may take longer to make than regular grilled cheese, but Spiced Grilled Cheese makes it all worthwhile with its bold, aromatic, and spicy flavors!
Spiced Grilled Cheese isn't just grilled cheese with some spices thrown in. Oh no, this sandwich goes the extra mile! Melty, spicy, creamy cheese is piled high with homemade curried beef for extra heat and succulent meatiness, all between golden-brown slices of toast! This may take longer to make than regular grilled cheese, but Spiced Grilled Cheese makes it all worthwhile with its bold, aromatic, and spicy flavors!
Ingredients
- 1 (1-pound) beef roast sirloin, chuck, or lean ground beef, cut into chunks if using a roast or steak
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 4 tablespoons tomato sauce or ketchup
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 (8-ounce) block pepper jack cheese shredded
- 1 (8-ounce) package fresh mozzarella cheese finely chopped
- butter to taste
- 12 slices bread
Directions
- If using beef chunks instead of ground beef, transfer the chunks to a food processor and cover the processor.
- Process the beef until it is chopped into smaller pieces, about 3-5 seconds. Do not completely mince or grind the beef.
- In a bowl, add the beef, the sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and mix gently but thoroughly to combine.
- Allow the beef to marinate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the vegetable oil.
- Add the chopped onions and the curry powder to the hot oil and cook, while stirring constantly, until the onions soften, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the beef mixture, the black pepper, the cayenne pepper, and the tomato sauce to the onions and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the beef is cooked through and starts to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes.
- Add the crushed red pepper flakes and the extra salt and stir to combine.
- Allow the beef mixture to cool.
- Add the pepper jack cheese and the mozzarella cheese to the beef mixture and stir to combine.
- Taste the beef mixture for seasoning and add the extra salt, as needed.
- Spread the butter on 1 side of each of the bread slices.
- In a nonstick pan, griddle, or cast-iron pan over medium or medium-high heat, add the butter bread slices, buttered-side down, and cook until the bottoms are lightly golden-brown, about 2-3 minutes. You may have to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Transfer the toasted bread slices to a plate.
- On the toasted side of 1/2 of the bread slices, evenly add the beef mixture.
- Close the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices with the toasted side directly on the filling.
- Spread the butter on the outsides of the sandwiches.
- In the same pan over medium-high heat, cook the sandwiches until they are a deep golden-brown and the cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes per side. You may have to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Serve.
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