It’s time to be an adult and upgrade from your boring American-cheese-and-white-bread grilled sandwich. Treat your taste buds to something a little more exotic, with a more sophisticated cheese and a berry smash, perhaps? Yes, this blackberry grilled cheese is the melty, gooey beauty you have been waiting for.

It is summer, after all, which means its berry season. Show blackberries some love this time of year, and crush them up with some basil. Pair it with some provolone, and you have one of those wonderful, weird food combinations that is both tasty and pretty. Win-win.

This recipe is great also because you can switch out the type of cheese you use to pair with your blackberries. I used provolone, but you can also use brie or fontina. The bread is also up to you; however, I used a rosemary-olive oil loaf from the Publix bakery, and it was incredible.

Bonus: this berry-cheese combo is one step closer to having wine and cheese in sandwich form, right? Either way, it’s delicious. And you’re going to eat more than one sandwich in one sitting. That’s why this recipe yields 2 sandwiches.

Blackberry-Basil Smash Grilled Cheese

  • Prep Time:5 minutes
  • Cook Time:10 minutes
  • Total Time:15 minutes
  • Servings:2 sandwiches
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1 loaf of bread of your choice
  • 12 oz fresh blackberries
  • 6 basil leaves, chopped
  • 3-4 oz cheese, sliced
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
Photo by Jackie Kuczynski
  • Step 1

    In a bowl, mash blackberries with a fork and stir in chopped basil.

    GIF by Jackie Kuczynski
  • Step 2

    Either brush one tablespoon of olive oil on two slices of bread, or put oil directly on your skillet.

    GIF by Jackie Kuczynski
  • Step 3

    Heat your skillet to medium-high, and lay your slices of bread on the skillet. Remove once toasted.

    GIF by Jackie Kuczynski
  • Step 4

    Repeat steps 2 and 3, except add cheese and your blackberry smash onto your new slices of bread.

    GIF by Jackie Kuczynski
  • Step 5

    Top your sandwiches with your already toasted slices, and let cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Use low heat to ensure the cheese melts but your bread does not burn!

    GIF by Jackie Kuczynski
  • Step 6

    Remove sandwiches, cut and devour.

    GIF by Jackie Kuczynski