Bacon Jalapeno Monterey Jack Grilled Cheese

If you’re a close friend or if you’ve been reading the blog for a while then you know I’m a huge Parks and Recreation fan and reference it constantly. Immediately after taking a bite of this cheesy, crunchy, bacon loaded grilled cheese I thought of Andy Dwyer’s bucket list. One of his items was to make the most amazing grilled cheese and I can confidently say that I’ve checked that one off of my own list now! Dunk it into a bowl of homemade tomato soup or enjoy this tasty sandwich all on its own!

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(makes 2 sandwiches)

Ingredients:

8 strips of thick cut bacon

Freshly ground pepper to taste

4 slices of bread

16oz block of Monterey Jack cheese, sliced into 12-16 strips (depends on the size of bread)

1-2 jalapeños, sliced (you can also remove ribs and seeds to make it less spicy)

Cook bacon in a large skillet over low-medium heat, flipping occasionally until crispy. Season with ground pepper while cooking. When bacon is finished cooking, transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Drain excess bacon grease into a heat proof bowl or cup, reserving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet. Assemble your sandwiches by putting down a layer of cheese, then jalapeño slices, 4 strips of bacon each, and then another layer of cheese.

Place back into the skillet and cook over low-medium heat until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes). Carefully flip the sandwiches and cook another 3-5 minutes. Add more bacon grease to the skillet if you need to.