Grilled Cheese Sandwich Variations
Compiled from newsgroup postings

Pumpernickel bread, emmenthaler cheese, drained sauerkraut, thinly sliced apple. Butter outside of bread, grill on both sides 'til brown and slightly crisp. It may sound strange, but it's really rather good. - Thierry Gerbault

I like a grilled cheese sandwich with a slice of tomato, and also a fried egg sandwich that way, but with mayo, too. - karlie

Grilled ham and Swiss on rye bread--yum!

We tried some herb butter instead of just plain butter and boy was that the best grilled cheese I have ever had! The butter consists of garlic powder, oregeno, basil and of course butter (1/2 tsp. of all herbs and a half a stick of butter to make the herb butter). - Heather Montpas

Bread - butter on one side, Miracle Whip (Light) salad dressing on the reverse side.
Sauteed onions - cooked until translucent and just starting to brown
Cheese - American slices or Muenster - Cyndi

Fry an egg to fully cooked; melt a slice of Swiss cheese on top. Put on bread with salt and pepper. Enjoy with a glass of milk. - Scrooge

Lightly roast a thick slice of Jewish or other decent rye. Then put a couple slices of Havaarti or tillistser (sp?) on it and run under the broiler until the cheese begins to bubble. Then spread liberally with Mrs. Renfro's green salsa (hot) and chopped scallions if you like. Yum. - Madeline

I like sliced apples or pears on my grilled cheese sandwiches. Particularly if it's a grilled cheddar cheese sandwich. Something about a sharp cheddar on a good rye bread--all melty (don't look, Nancy), and a cool, crisp apple, sliced up and a few slices put between the bread, so it's hot melty cheese surrounding crisp cold apple slices....I just had one exactly like that! And boy did I enjoy it. A good slice of tomato in August is good, too. But it has to be a really nice tomato. Otherwise, it's not worth it. - Sheryl Rosen

Toast or an English muffin, spread with Heinz Ketchup and topped with cheese. (whatever was in the house. Often Swiss, sometimes American, rarely mozzarella) The whole thing would go back into the toaster oven and the cheese top-browned so it would melt and get puffy and slightly brown. - Sheryl

Two ways to go rather than the traditional... One, grill it with a fried egg inside. The other is to add a table spoon of Pork'n Beans. But you have to put bread, cheese, beans, cheese and bread in order for it not to get too soggy. - Fargo

Cheese, tomato, thin onion and a sprinkle of oregano, topped with bacon open face under the broiler until bacon is done (I precook the bacon slightly first). - Sue Hutt

San Francisco sour dough bread, sliced roast beef, black wax cheddar cheese, and sometimes a layer of Ortega roasted green chilies. - Dimitri

I put sesame seeds in the pan before grilling. Not enough of them stick to the sandwich, but it's a nice frill. - Judith Moore

Old English slice, tuna on extra sour rye. Toasted, of course. Oh, and a BIG ol' pickle on the side. - Linda Magee

I like Cheddar on my good home made sourdough bread, with crispy bacon, grilled in real butter. - Rosie Miller

I like a piece good American cheese, a piece of Swiss cheese, ham, and, if we have them, sauteed mushrooms on sour dough, preferably cooked by my mom. :-) Oh, and pan fried in a little butter. My dad likes his made with pimento cheese spread and ham. - Dottie Brundige

This is how I like my grilled cheese sandwiches... Ripe tomatoes from the farmer's market and also some fresh basil leaves. :) - Ariane

Sharp cheddar (orange U.S.-ian Kraft type sharp cheddar, not the good stuff), and one or all of: thinly sliced onion, tomato, and thinly sliced jalapeno. Usually I don't make a real grilled cheese sandwich: I melt the cheese under the toaster oven one piece of bread, and toast the other slice of bread plain. Then I smear on a little mayonnaise on the plain toast, and plop it on top of the melted cheese topped with tomato/onion/jalapeno. - Cindy Hamilton

I have 3 ways I like to eat grilled cheese. The first being wheat bread slathered with real butter (actually, they all start out slathered with butter), stuffed with muenster cheese and grilled till the cheese is just right, gooey, stringy, melted.

Next, I like to grill very thinly sliced Hebrew National salami in a pan and then add that to a sammich like the one above.

And third, I like Swiss, bacon and tomato on very fresh and chewy rye, grilled til the bread just turns a light golden color. - Nancita

Grilled cheese with garlic as well as grilled onions and mushrooms in garlic butter. All real good alternatives. - Shawn Allen

Curry on the outside with the butter/margarine or a mixture of chili powder, cayenne pepper and paprika on the outside. - Vickie McCorkendale

Make a quesadilla by laying slices of Monterey jack and chopped mild green chiles in a tortilla, fold it over, and cook as with the a standard grilled cheese. - John Reece

I had a delicious sandwich the other night that went as follows:
two slices of sourdough walnut bread (may be hard to find)
Swiss cheese and Monterey jack cheese
very thin slices of green pepper and red pepper
very thin slices of red onion
thin slices of ripe fresh tomato
AND, the key ingredient, shards of FRESH BASIL LEAVES.
The sandwich was one of the best I have made in a long time. it was cooked slowly, so the pepper and basil cooked a little bit. So, the key advice is FRESH HERBS on grilled cheese. - Marc Rumminger

My favorite- sprinkle garlic powder (or garlic salt) in the outside of the bread when you grill it. It tastes like garlic bread, yum!! - Temp

One of my favorites is to get some flavored cream cheese from the deli and spread that on the insides of the bread before I fill it with cheddar and Swiss cheese. - Marcy Thompson

I like a good German mustard on my grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. - Liam

…grilled cheese with sharp cheddar and mango chutney, served at many little cafes and tea shops in the UK. It's my favorite. Particularly cut in triangles and dipped in a little hot English mustard. - Ann

Using Mozzarella cheese, brush thick slices of Italian bread with an olive oil/crushed garlic/oregano mixture. My kids love it. - Rich Randolph

…grilled cheese with sliced pepperoni and ham with a thin layer of Dijon on marbled rye, and longhorn Colby. - Loretta

A local restaurant does Gouda on olive bread and it's wonderful. I often add jalapeno slices (the ones that come in a jar) and/or garlic. We dip our grilled cheese sandwiches in tomato soup. A tossed green salad or coleslaw on the side is nice. - Pam Jacoby

I like smoked mozzarella on rosemary bread. grilled in melted butter of course. ;-) - Margie

My husband likes a grilled cheese made on thick slices of homemade bread...I use smoked Swiss for this and put a thin layer of boiled ham in the middle. Then I spread butter on the outsides and sprinkle with a liberal layer of sesame seeds on both sides before grilling on med-low heat. Side of chocolate milk!

My daughter likes grated cheddar mixed with cream cheese on her grilled cheese.

I like sharp cheddar with a thin layer of strawberry preserves in the middle. - Althea

As a variety, lightly toasted English muffins, then layer cheese, ham, bacon or turkey, thinly sliced tomato, and top with more cheese. Put under the broiler until cheese melts and turns golden brown just at the edges. Just wonderful! - Mari