Imagine the most flavorful summer salad. Now stick it between two slices of buttery grilled bread. That’s what you get with this Ultimate Strawberry Bacon Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese.

I tend to be a bit obsessive about where we eat when we’re on vacation. I spend the weeks leading up to our trip scouting out yelp reviews, stalking menus, and making lists of all the places I want to go. Some people might make extravagant sightseeing itineraries, I plan out where we should eat for every meal.

On this last trip to Charleston, I had researched a sandwich shop that looked especially dreamy. I spent some time drooling over their menu, and decided what sandwich I would get if we went. It was a strawberry goat cheese grilled cheese, and my heart was set on it. Unfortunately, my dreams far exceeded my stomach capacity, and we were, in fact, unable to eat out six times a day. That meant some of our restaurant picks had to go, and the sandwich shop was one of them.

We ate so well on our trip that I forgot all about my lost love until I spotted some beautiful, bright red strawberries at the grocery store. The craving returned in full force, and I decided I’d simply have to make it for myself.

I am so excited with how these turned out. I knew I would love the combination of sweet strawberries, tangy goat cheese, and salty bacon, but I had my doubts about the Mr. He’s typically not a fan of fruit in savory recipes, but I made him try this one anyway. I figure forcing him to eat something he doesn’t think he’ll like is good practice for being a mom, right?

Turns out, even the Mr. had to admit this was a darn good sandwich. Just so you get the full experience, let’s break it down real quick. Like any grilled cheese, this one starts with good bread and butter. Don’t skimp on this one. Buy the good stuff.

The bread is topped with cream cheese and goat cheese then a layer of strawberries, sauteed red onions, crispy bacon, and deli turkey. This is grilled up into a golden, creamy, glorious mess, then topped with baby arugula and tangy sweet balsamic glaze. The resulting sandwich is the perfect balance of sweet and savory, tangy and smooth. It tastes like summer between two slices of (perfectly grilled) bread.

So go ahead and lower that skeptical eye brow and give this a try. You may just be surprised how tasty a strawberry grilled cheese can be!

The Ultimate Strawberry Bacon Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese

Yield: 2 sandwiches

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 4 slices good quality crusty bread
• 1 ounce cream cheese
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 8 strawberries sliced
• 6 slices deli turkey
• 6 slices bacon
• 1/2 a small red onion, sliced
• 4 Tablespoons balsamic glaze
• Handful baby arugula

Instructions

Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Remove all but a thin coating of bacon grease from the pan. Add the onion slices to the pan and saute for 3-4 minutes or until just starting to soften. Remove to a plate.

Spread one side of all four slices of bread with butter. Flip over, and then for each sandwich spread one side with cream cheese and the other side with goat cheese. Top the goat cheese with strawberry slices and red onions. Drizzle with about a Tablespoon of balsamic glaze. Top the cream cheese side with turkey slices and bacon, then sandwich the two halves together.

Grill the sandwiches in a non stick pan over medium heat until golden brown on each side. Remove from heat, then finish each sandwich with a sprinkling of arugula and another Tablespoon of balsamic. Serve warm.