36: Taco Stuffed Grilled Cheese

Helll-llloooo my Love Bakes Good Cakes peeps! Is it okay if I call you all that? Cool. It's me, Kim from Soliloquy Of Food & Such....again. In fact, I'll be here on the first Friday of every month - so mark your calendars! I'm going to share these Taco Stuffed Grilled Cheese today, just in time for Cinco De Mayo.

My hubs and I are currently RV-ing from New England to Alaska, where we will then be working this summer. This is something I put together one night after a long, long day of driving. I had planned on making tacos; I had all the fixings except the shells or wraps!! Who does that?

<Raising my hand> - I do. Classic Kim. Classic!

Taco Stuffed Grilled Cheese - You know you want one! www.soliloquyoffood.com

I couldn't let it go.....I had obsessed about melty cheese and guacamole ALL DAY long. (I know, I have issues.) I tore thorough the cupboards in a frenzy......want.....tacos......must.....have.....ahhh!! Then I spied a loaf of bread and thought: what the heck?

Layer your favourite taco ingredients with just a little extra cheese, shmush them between two slices of buttered bread and grill. These are hardier than regular tacos; I could only eat 1, where I can easily polish off 2-3 tacos. These have all the comforting goodness of a golden, melty grilled cheese along with the zingy taco components.

Print THIS Recipe!

Taco Stuffed Grilled Cheese

*makes 6 sandwiches

You will need:

1 loaf of sliced sandwich bread

1 pound seasoned taco meat (see below)

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

3 small tomatoes, thin sliced

prepared guacamole (see below)

4 TBS soft butter

Sour cream for serving, a few dollops

Heat a large skillet over low heat. Butter the slices of bread and start layering the sandwiches - buttered sides facing out. Start with about 1 once of cheddar; top with about 1/4 cup of taco meat, then a 1/4 cup of guacamole; layer a few tomato slices; top with 1 ounce of Monterrey Jack; finish with your top piece of bread. Grill on low for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown, flip and finish the other side for an additional 4-5 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and any extra guacamole for dipping.

For The Taco Meat:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 package of taco seasoning, ORthe following spices:

4 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp smoked paprika, or red paprika

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp seasoned salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the ground meat, beak up into small pieces as the meat cooks with the back of your spoon. When the meat is fully browned and no pink remains, drain off any fat and add in spices. Mix thoroughly reduce heat to low, cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.

For The Guacamole:

3 semi-soft avocados

¼ cup fine chopped red onion

¼ cup fine chopped cilantro

1 ½ limes, juiced

salt to taste

Slice open, seed and scoop out the avocado halves into a small bowl. Add lime juice and mash with a fork. Stir in chopped onion, cilantro and a good pinch of salt. Use immediately.

*NOTES:

The key to melting the cheese without burning the bread is the low heat setting; grill these low and slow.

Depending on the amount of filling, you may be able to get 8 sandwiches total. I made 6 hearty sandwiches with a little meat and guacamole left over.

Begin and end layers with cheese, they are the glue that holds the whole thing together.