This Fig, Bacon & Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese recipe is the ultimate combination! Sweet fresh figs (or fig jam!), crispy bacon, jammy and balsamic caramelized onions all layered between slices of sourdough. Sweet, salty and so delicious!
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I post mainly healthier recipes, but the other day I was just craving something decadent. Maybe it’s the start of chillier fall weather or the sight of those beautiful fresh figs at the farmers market… who knows but I will tell you this Fig, Bacon and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese really hit the spot.
I like to think of it as an “adult grilled cheese” because it really puts a gourmet spin on a simple classic. As fancy as it sounds though this grilled cheese with figs actually only requires a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients in Fig Grilled Cheese
- Fresh figs: my favorite fig variety are black mission figs. Peak fig season in the western hemisphere is late summer through early fall. If you are not able to find fresh figs, you can absolutely make this grilled cheese with fig jam or preserves!
- Bacon
- Onion: I recommend a sweet variety, such as vidalia
- Balsamic vinegar
- Thyme: fresh or dried
- Cheese: use your favorite cheese here. I used non-dairy shreds.
- Sourdough: I like the sturdiness and tang of sourdough bread but feel free to use your favorite!
How to make a Fig, Bacon & Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese
Start by cooking the bacon in a skillet until nice and crisp. I like to start my bacon in a cold pan and cook it slowly over medium-low heat to allow the fat to render.
Transfer the bacon to a plate and discard the fat, leaving about 2-3 tbsp in the pan. No need to measure, just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add your onions and cook those down until they’re a deep golden brown. Add in the balsamic, thyme and honey and allow the sugars to caramelize even further.
Caramelizing onions is a very simple, but somewhat slow process. You can’t really fast-track it, so just keep stirring and I promise the result is worth it! You’ll probably need to add a few splashes of water to the pan towards the end of cooking so you end up with something like the jammy onions shown above.
And then it’s time to build! Optionally spread a thin layer of butter or mayonnaise on either slice of bread and layer up each grilled cheese with all the components.
Cook each sandwich for about 3-4 minutes per side or until the cheese is melted and a nice golden crust has formed. These grilled cheese sandwiches will be pretty fat so make sure you keep the heat down so exterior doesn’t burn before the cheese has a chance to melt completely.
More recipes to try:
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Fig, Bacon & Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese
This upgraded grilled cheese recipe is going to be your new favorite meal! Sweet fresh figs, jammy caramelized onions and crispy bacon all layered between two slices of sourdough. Sweet, salty and so delicious!
Ingredients
- 4 bacon strips
- 1 large sweet onion, very thinly sliced
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 4 oz shredded cheese, such as Gruyère
- 3-4 fresh figs, sliced (see note)
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate and discard all but about 2-3 tbsp of fat from the pan.
- Add the onions to the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 15 min. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, thyme and honey. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until deeply caramelized. If the onions start to look dry or burn, add a splash of water until they reach a jammy consistency.
- Transfer the onions to a bowl and wipe out the skillet. Spread a thin layer of butter or mayonnaise on the outside of each slice of bread. Layer cheese, caramelized onions, bacon and figs. Return the skillet to medium-low heat and cook each grilled cheese for 3-4 minutes per side or until the cheese melts abs the outside is golden brown.
Notes
If you are not able to find fresh figs, you can substitute fig preserves or jam. Use about 1-2 tbsp per grilled cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 710Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 1930mgCarbohydrates: 107gFiber: 8gSugar: 36gProtein: 36g
All nutritional info is an estimation
