Making lower-effort versions of foods I love is kind of how I roll. This grilled cheese has all the cheesy, bacony goodness you love in a classic jalepeno popper wrapped into a crispy sandwich!
Personally I love to use a thicker cut bread for this sandwich to help hold everything together. You start by buttering both sides of your bread and lightly toasting it in a preheated skillet. You’ll want to avoid cooking the bread too much up front because it will be going back into the pan once you assemble the sandwich.
The filling is made by combining freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I like to use a blend), cream cheese and a diced jalepeno. Then it’s spread all over the toasted bread, along with MORE cheese and, of course, bacon! The grilled cheese sandwich gets cooked until the bread is golden-brown and the cheese is totally melted.

Equipment and Tools I Use for this Recipe

Jalepeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded and divided (I use a mix of orange and old white cheddar)
- 1 jalepeno pepper diced
- 2 slices bread I use crusty sourdough
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 strips bacon cooked and finely chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, half of the shredded cheese and the jalepeno pepper.
- Heat a frying pan or skillet on medium. Butter both sides of each bread slice. Add the bread to the hot pan and cook each side until they just start to crisp (about 3 minutes per side). Remove the toasted bread from the pan.
- Divide the cream cheese mixture and spread it on both slices of toast. Top one of the slices with the bacon and remaining shredded cheese and add the other slice to make your sandwich.
- Add the sandwich back into the pan (still on medium) and cook until the cheese has melted, flipping once or twice (about 5 minutes per side).