Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese
A Sandwich Reminiscent Of Arby’s Jalapeños Poppers
As you may or may not know, I am a huge lover of the Arby’s Fast Food Chain. In fact, my first job was at Arby’s so you can trust me when I say they have THE BEST Jalapeño Poppers.
These Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are inspired by the wonderful poppers at Arby’s. These sandwiches have a decent amount of ingredients, but they are all required in order to make the best grilled cheese sandwich you have ever sank your teeth into.
These are sure to be your new favorites.
An Interesting Combo Of Ingredients
While some of these ingredients may seem odd to you, “trust the process” as they say. You will find that they all go together so well.
The raspberry jam could seem like a weird addition, but you will end up loving the savory and sweet combination. I have included a couple of pictures of some of the ingredients below for those who are visual learners.
What Are Tame Jalapeños?
Tamed jalapeños are a mash up of a regular jalapeño and a bell pepper. These have less heat than a regular jalapeño while maintaining the same flavor and texture.
They add the crunch and peppery flavor to this sandwich without burning your mouth up.
Every store I have been to has these peppers. You will see the “tamed” part right on the label so I do not think any of you should have a problem finding these.
IF you do, you can use some sliced bell peppers and sauté them as mentioned in the recipe card and then add a tiny splash of vinegar while they are cooking and a sprinkle of cayenne powder to add some heat if you want.
That being said, I highly recommend trying to find the actual tamed jalapeños in the jar.
Raspberry Preserves in Grilled Cheese?!
For this recipe I like to use Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves. This is not sponsored, I just love their products.
Arby’s gives you Bronco Sauce with their poppers and these preserves add that layer of flavor. This is worth the splurge.
Preserves are made with larger pieces of fruit and are different from jam. This is why I like to use preserves though you can really use any jam product you wish if you cannot find them.
Get Really Fancy With Candied Bacon
If you REALLY want to get super fancy with this grilled cheese, you can make this Candied Bacon Recipe from my site. This will really take the sandwich to the next level.
Regular bacon is also JUST FINE. Buy the ready made or even use bacon bits if you want to save time.
Arby’s Love
My love of all Arby’s Food runs deep. There is a copycat recipe for Beef and Cheddar Sliders on my site if you love Arby’s like I do.
I worked at Arby’s as a teen and I have always loved their food. I also love to make copycat recipes of my favorites!
If you are not familiar, Arby’s is a fast food roast beef chain with some other fun menu options as well.
Serve With Soup
We all know the best grilled cheese is dunked in a delicious tomato. My creamy tomato soup recipe will be perfection with this Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese.
The tomato soup will be a nice balance with the tanginess of the peppers. You will love the cheese with the soup as well.
Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Recipe
Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese is a decadent treat with a little zip to each bite.
Ingredients
- 8 slices of your favorite sourdough bread, or other dense bread
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 8 slices of cooked bacon strips *optional
- 2 tablespoons of raspberry preserves, jelly, or jam *optional
- 1/2 cup of whipped cream cheese
- 4 slices of white cheddar
- 4 slices of provolone
- 8 slices of Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup of Tamed Jalapeños in a jar
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 teaspoons of white sugar
- 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
- A pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper
- *some of the ingredients you may have questions about are pictured and/or linked in the post
Instructions
- Add butter to a skillet, while you drain the Jalapeños and then pat pretty dry with a paper towel. Add the peppers to the skillet and sauté for 10 minutes or so to get them caramelized and golden brown. Near the end of cooking add the soy sauce and let that cook and then add the sugar, black pepper, and garlic and onion powders. Sauté for a couple minutes until it is combined with the peppers. Set these aside.
- Spread mayonnaise on the bread. The mayonnaise should go on the outside of the bread, the part of the bread that is going to touch the skillet or be exposed to the air fryer.
- After spreading the mayo, flip the bread over. On one side of the bread add a very thin layer of the raspberry jam, then spread the cream cheese on both sides of the bread in a thin layer. Remember you are adding other cheese so you do not need a ton.
- If adding bacon, add two slices of bacon to every sandwich. Place on the side of the bread that has the jam and the cream cheese.
- Layer the jalapeños on the side of bread that doesn't have the bacon if you are using bacon. I put 6 to 8 slices on each sandwich.
- Layer the remaining cheese on top of the jalapeños and bacon. Each sandwich should get 2 slices of Monterey jack, and one slice each of provolone and cheddar.
- If using an air fryer, set to 370 degrees, and preheat for 7 minutes before adding your sandwiches. Every air fryer is different. After preheating, I cook mine for about 6 minutes on each side at 370 degrees. Keep an eye out the first time you are cooking these.
- If making in a skillet, you can use the same skillet that you sautéed the peppers in. On a medium to high heat, toast your sandwiches on each side for about 5 to 7 minutes. I do put the lid on for a couple of minutes towards the end, and reduce the heat to melt the cheese. Then be sure to toast on both sides really well at the end as adding the lid midway through cooking will cause some steam and make the bread slightly damp.
- Serve with more of the raspberry jam on the side.