Grilled mac and cheese sandwiches turn the leftover pasta into a second day meal everyone will be excited to eat! Your kids will love eating leftovers when this sandwich is on the menu.
Sometimes all you need is to add more carbs and cheese to carbs and cheese.
Like adding macaroni and cheese to a grilled cheese sandwich.
It’s simple, it’s genius, and oh boy is it a little slice of heaven.
We’re talking crusty pieces of sourdough bread grilled to buttery perfection and loaded with sharp cheddar cheese and creamy mac.
It’s the ultimate in soul food comforting goodness.
Ingredients
To make this sandwich, you’ll need:
- Bread– Use a nice, thick dense bread like sourdough. It needs to be sturdy enough to support all that starch and cheese.
- Mac and cheese– This is the perfect way to use up your favorite Macaroni and Cheese leftovers. You can use a homemade recipe or a boxed mac.
- Cheese– I recommend American or cheddar but you can use what you like.
- Butter– To cook the sandwiches in
How to Make
To make the sandwiches, heat the mac & cheese over medium heat in a small skillet.
When the mac and cheese is warm, shape it into a pile about the size of the bread and top with 2 slices of cheese.
Then, turn off the heat.
At this point, butter 2 slices of bread.
Place bread butter side down in another skillet over medium heat.
Top one of the bread slices with 2 slices of cheese.
When the bread is lightly browned, turn off heat.
Transfer the mac and cheese rectangle onto cheese covered bread in the skillet.
Cover with the other bread slice, toasted side up.
Gently press together with spatula and transfer to a plate.
Repeat this to make another sandwich.
Serve immediately.
Air Fryer Instructions
Don’t want to make this on the stove?
You can absolutely make it in the the air fryer.
To do it, heat the mac and cheese and assemble the sandwich as described without toasting the bread.
Instead of leaving it open faced while you cook it, top the cheese and macaroni rectangle with the second slice of buttered bread.
Air fry at 390 for 4 minutes.
After 3 minutes, flip the sandwich over and air fry for another 4 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This is a meal in and of itself but you can serve it with a side of creamy tomato soup for the most comforting meal on Earth.
Tips and Tricks
- This sandwich is very forgiving. Use whatever cheese you like.
- The recipe makes 2 sandwiches, but you can easily double it.
- To cook multiple sandwiches at once, cook the sandwiches on a griddle or large frying pan.
- If you are air frying the sandwiches, make sure the cheese and the mac are tucked totally into the bread so it doesn’t leak out into the fryer.
Other Ways to Use Leftover Mac and Cheese
Grilled mac and cheese sandwiches are our favorite way to enjoy leftover mac. Make it and watch everyone dig it!
Looking for other ways to use up leftover macaroni and cheese? Try these:
If you’ve tried this GRILLED MACARONI & CHEESE SANDWICH, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Grilled Mac & Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 slices Sourdough or other dense bread
- 1 1/2 cups leftover Macaroni & Cheese
- 8 slices American or Cheddar Cheese
- 2 tbsp Butter
Instructions
- In a small nonstick skillet place heat ¾ cup of mac & cheese over medium heat.
- Once warm (about 3-4 minutes), shape mac & cheese into a pile about the size of the bread and top with 2 slices of cheese.
- Turn off heat.
- Butter 2 slices of bread.
- Place bread butter side down in another skillet over medium heat.
- Top one of the bread slices with 2 slices of cheese.
- Use a spatula to lift a corner and check done-ness.
- When lightly browned turn off heat. Use spatula to transfer mac & cheese rectangle onto cheese covered bread in the skillet.
- Cover with the other bread slice, toasted side up. Gently press together with spatula and transfer to a plate.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- This sandwich is very forgiving. Use whatever cheese you like.
- The recipe makes 2 sandwiches, but you can easily double it.
- To cook multiple sandwiches at once, cook the sandwiches on a griddle or large frying pan.
- If you are air frying the sandwiches, make sure the cheese and the mac are tucked totally into the bread so it doesn't leak out into the fryer.
Nutrition
recipe originally published November 8, 2014
Evelyn says
This looks outrageously delicious!!
4 Sons 'R' Us says
Thanks, Evelyn! We were lovin’ it.
Tracy says
Two of my favorite cheese dishes merged into one?! Fantastic! Happy Fiesta Friday! 😀
4 Sons 'R' Us says
It’s life altering.
Stephanie @ The Cozy Cook says
So, I’m literally sitting here… eating mac & cheese… REALLY delicious mac & cheese. And RIGHT before i saw your post I thought “I’ve GOT to try this in a grilled cheese sometime…” and then POOF, this post appeared. Kinda freaky. Needless to say, I’m definitely going to be trying this. It has The Cozy Cook written all over ittttt! I’ve been a fan of your grilled cheese variations for a while now!! 🙂 Happy Fiesta Friday Meaghan!
4 Sons 'R' Us says
If this doesn’t scream cozy cook, nothing could Stephanie. It should be right up your alley. Who knows, maybe we’ve got a little inner blog telepathy thing going on?
Liz @ spades, spatulas, and spoons says
I love the combination of creamy and toasty! This would be even better than mac and cheese pizza.
4 Sons 'R' Us says
It’s a pretty close match. We love our Mac N Cheese pizza recipe. Both are pretty epic recipes.
Andrea Giang | Cooking with a Wallflower says
Um, whoa! Mac and cheese in a sandwich?! This might just have to be my new comfort food. Thanks for sharing on FF, Meaghan!
4 Sons 'R' Us says
You’re welcome, Andrea. So glad you like it 🙂
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
wow, this has got to be illegal!!! There’s way too much comfort in that sandwich, I feel like I shouldn’t look directly at it or I’ll go into a deep slumber haha! But on a serious note, it looks soooo yummy and the ultimate in comfort food!
4 Sons 'R' Us says
If not illegal, that much comfort in one sandwich, let alone one bite, should definitely be regulated Michelle. Aren’t we lucky it’s not?!
Miz Helen says
What a great idea, your Mac N Cheese looks so good. Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing this awesome post with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Ann Harris says
Do you brown the 4 slices of buttered bread all at the same time? Or just make one sandwich at a time. Is the 1 1/2 cups of Mac & Cheese enough for 2 sandwiches? Or just one sandwich?
grayson says
As a result of mayonnaise’s resistance to burning, melted cheese can be kept warm for longer than with butter. The majority of high-end grilled cheese sandwiches (those served from food trucks or upscale eateries) use mayonnaise instead of butter or solely mayo as the spreading medium.
https://cookie-clicker2.co
4sonsrus says
I use either, just depends on which I grab. Mayo does lead to the crispiest outer toast I’ve found, but some people are reallllly put off by the idea.
robbers says
I didn’t have any expectations concerning that title, but the more I was astonished. The author did a great job. I spent a few minutes reading and checking the facts. Everything is very clear and understandable. I like posts that fill in your knowledge gaps. This one is of the sort.