No-Flip Kara-Melt Sandwiches

A little fancier than a grilled cheese but 100% tastier. We were introduced to these babies by a dear friend, and we are forever grateful!

Two tricks make these sandwiches both delicious and gorgeous:

  • Use mayonnaise in lieu of butter to grill them (I’m looking at you, Kenji Lopez-Alt)
  • By carefully choreographing their assembly, you can avoid having to flip these sandwiches over… and that means those amazing grilled peppers stay in place

ENJOY!

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No-Flip Kara-Melt Sandwiches

These amazing grilled cheese and sauteed pepper babies are both gorgeous and delicious. We named them after our dear friend, Kara, who introduced us to them (and many other life-changing things). If you follow the directions, you won't need to flip the sandwiches mid-way through and that means you won't lose any of the delicious sauteed peppers that make this sandwich so yummy!
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  • 2 whole bell peppers Ideally, one red and one yellow
  • 1 or 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 4 slices high-quality bread Any bread will do fine, though
  • 4-6 slices cheese (see note below for type)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • mayonnaise

Instructions

Prepare the Peppers

  • Wash and dry the whole peppers
  • Core and clean the peppers, then cut them into strips about 1/3" wide and 2" long. (Size is not that important, but best for all of the pieces to be approximately the same size so that they will sautee evenly.)
  • Season with a bit of salt and black pepper, and set aside

Sautee the Peppers

  • Add half of the butter to a large non-stick skillet placed over medium-low heat. When the butter melts, add half of the peppers.
  • After a minute, add the other half of the butter, then the rest of the peppers
  • Stir periodically to make sure the peppers don't burn
  • About 5 to 7 minutes before you think the peppers will be done, add the minced garlic. (You're adding these later because burnt garlic tastes bitter.)
  • Continue sauteeing peppers until they have darkened slightly and are soft, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat.

Grill the Sandwiches

  • Spread a layer of mayonnaise on the side of two of the slices of bread that will be on the *outside* of the finished sandwiches
  • Place bread in large skillet (mayo side down) and adjust flame / heat to medium or medium-low. Top with sliced cheese.
  • You want to brown the bread and melt the cheese, so you may want to cover the skillet with a lid for at least part of this process. This will take about 5 - 7 minutes, but it depends on your cooktop, the thickness of the bread, what cheese you use, etc.
  • Once the bread is darkened on the mayo side and the cheese is melted, remove each slice from the skillet and onto a cutting board.
  • Spread mayonnaise on the other slices of bread, again being sure to put the mayo on the side of the bread that will be the *outside* of the sandwich. Place each slice into the skillet and top with a generous amount of the sauteed peppers.
  • Add the slices of bread with the melted cheese onto the bread and peppers that are in the skillet, cheese side down (i.e., browned side up)
  • Cook over medium-low to medium heat until the bread is nicely browned
  • Use a spatula to carefully remove each sandwich to a cutting board
  • Cut each sandwich in two pieces, transfer to plates and eat immediately

Notes

Any cheese that works for a grilled cheese sandwich will work for a Kara-Melt. We are partial to a combination of scammorza and emmantal, but Swiss cheese, gruyere, a mild cheddar, provalone, etc will work just fine. In a pinch, you can even use cream cheese instead of any of the above.