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Golden tomato grilled cheese sandwiches with melted cheddar and garden tomatoes

Tomato Grilled Cheese: A Late-Summer Classic

A late-summer favorite made with buttery homemade bread, ripe garden tomato, cheddar cheese, and mustard, cooked slowly until golden and perfectly melted.
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Ingredients
  

  • 4 slices bread
  • Softened butter as needed
  • Dijon stone-ground, or prepared mustard, as needed
  • 4 –6 slices cheddar cheese or enough to generously cover the bread
  • 2 thick slices ripe tomato
  • Salt to taste
  • Italian seasoning optional

Method
 

  1. Butter one side of each slice of bread generously. Spread mustard on the opposite side of each slice.
  2. Place one slice of bread, butter-side down, in a skillet over low to medium-low heat.
  3. Cover each slice of bread with cheddar cheese. Add enough tomato to cover the cheese in a single layer and season the tomato with salt and, if desired, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.
  4. Add another layer of cheddar over the tomato. Top with the remaining bread, mustard-side facing in and butter-side facing out. The tomato should now be sandwiched between two layers of cheese, with cheese touching both slices of bread.
  5. Cook slowly until the bottom is crisp and deeply golden and the cheese has begun to melt. Flip the sandwich and continue cooking until the second side is golden and the cheese is melted throughout.
  6. If the bread is browning before the cheese has completely melted, reduce the heat further and cover the skillet for a minute or two.
  7. Remove from the skillet, let rest briefly, then serve warm.