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Okay so hear me out, this Caramelised Onion Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a game changer. I’ve been making kimchi grilled cheese sandwiches for years, but it was only a few weeks ago that I added caramelized onions into the mix and it took this to a whole new level. You get the sweetness from the caramelized onions and acidity and crunch from the kimchi that cut through the rich cheese. It’s almost like a flavor party in your mouth with every bite. Plus, you get a lot of different textures!
So this is more of a guide and you can easily customize this recipe since you can easily add more or less of everything or swap out certain ingredients for another — it’s totally up to you!
THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS CARAMELIZED ONION AND KIMCHI GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
I’ve made kimchi grilled cheeses and kimchi with cheese pancakes before –but adding something sweet like caramelized onions (or even an onion jam) was something I haven’t tried until recently, and it’s never gonna be the same again! It was actually during a random brainstorming session I had with my boyfriend on what to cook when I realized I wanted to revamp my usual kimchi-cheese combo. The first variation of this sandwich I made actually also had some roasted garlic confit spread on the each slice of bread. It was also soo good, so if you have garlic confit then feel free to add some to this sandwich as well!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
FOR THE CARAMELIZED ONIONS
TO MAKE THE KIMCHI GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
- 2-3 tbsp vegan butter
- 4 slices bread of choice , I used a white French bread
- 3/4 cup vegan kimchi , chopped
- Caramelized onions
- 1 cup vegan cheese of choice , I used a mix of vegan cheddar and parmesan shreds
CARAMELIZING THE ONIONS
- Heat a pan with olive oil over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions. Add a pinch of salt.
- Cook the onions over medium heat until it starts to turn translucent. Leave the onions to get a little color. It’ll start to have brown edges. Add splashes of water to deglaze the pan.
- Note: depending on the heat of your stovetop or burner, you may need to lower the heat to prevent the onions from burning or drying out. You’ll want to get a nice brown color, but be sure not to burn it. Adding water to the pan also helps prevent the onions from burning or drying out.
- Continue to cook and scrape the onions until these are a rich brown color. The onions can be caramelized in advance and left to cool before refrigerating. You can prepare the onions up to 5 days in advance and just store these in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
MAKING THE CARAMELIZED ONION & KIMCHI GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
- To make the sandwiches, heat a medium pan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter. Place the slices of bread and coat with the melted butter. Allow the bread to turn golden brown and crispy. Spread more butter on the side facing up or you can also melt more butter on the pan before flipping the slices of bread.
- Add the vegan cheese shreds on the flipped bread (browned side) then lay the sliced kimchi and caramelized onions.
- Once the bread is a light golden brown color, flip one side of the bread to close the sandwich.
- Put the heat on very low so as not to burn the bread. Press down on the sandwich. You can opt to cover the pan to allow some steam to melt the cheese.
- Flip the sandwich and allow the other side to cook until golden brown.
- Repeat this for the remaining slices of bread.
- Serve while hot and slice in half, if desired. Enjoy!
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Cheesy Potato and Broccoli Soup
- Sopas (Filipino Macaroni Soup)
- Vegan Kimchi
- Kimchi Mayo Deopbap
- Vegan Chili Sin Carne
- Kimchi Noodle Soup with Dumplings
- Kimchi Noodle Stir-Fry
- Jjajangmyeon
- Kimchi Pancakes or Kimchi Jeon
- Tantanmen (Vegan Ramen)
- Peanut Satay Noodle Soup
Caramelized Onion Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Okay so hear me out, this Caramelised Onion Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a game changer. I’ve been making kimchi grilled cheese sandwiches for years, but it was only a few weeks ago that I added caramelized onions into the mix and it took this to a whole new level. You get the sweetness from the caramelized onions and acidity and crunch from the kimchi that cut through the rich cheese. It’s almost like a flavor party in your mouth with every bite. Plus, you get a lot of different textures!So this is more of a guide and you can easily customize this recipe since you can easily add more or less of everything or swap out certain ingredients for another — it’s totally up to you!
Ingredients
KIMCHI GRILLED CHEESE
- 2-3 tbsp vegan butter
- 4 slices bread of choice , I used a white French bread
- 3/4 cup vegan kimchi , chopped
- Caramelized onions
- 1 cup vegan cheese of choice , I used a mix of vegan cheddar and parmesan shreds
Instructions
CARAMELIZED ONIONS
- Heat a pan with olive oil over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions. Add a pinch of salt.
- Cook the onions over medium heat until it starts to turn translucent. Leave the onions to get a little color. It’ll start to have brown edges. Add splashes of water to deglaze the pan.
- Note: depending on the heat of your stovetop or burner, you may need to lower the heat to prevent the onions from burning or drying out. You’ll want to get a nice brown color, but be sure not to burn it. Adding water to the pan also helps prevent the onions from burning or drying out.
- Continue to cook and scrape the onions until these are a rich brown color. The onions can be caramelized in advance and left to cool before refrigerating. You can prepare the onions up to 5 days in advance and just store these in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
KIMCHI GRILLED CHEESE
- To make the sandwiches, heat a medium pan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter. Place the slices of bread and coat with the melted butter. Allow the bread to turn golden brown and crispy. Spread more butter on the side facing up or you can also melt more butter on the pan before flipping the slices of bread.
- Add the vegan cheese shreds on the flipped bread (browned side) then lay the sliced kimchi and caramelized onions.
- Once the bread is a light golden brown color, flip one side of the bread to close the sandwich.
- Put the heat on very low so as not to burn the bread. Press down on the sandwich. You can opt to cover the pan to allow some steam to melt the cheese.
- Flip the sandwich and allow the other side to cook until golden brown.
- Repeat this for the remaining slices of bread.
- Serve while hot and slice in half, if desired. Enjoy!
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NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1130mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 576IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 4mg
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Wow, this recipe looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it out this weekend. Thanks for sharing🤗!I recently discovered FoodHub, and it’s been a game-changer for me! I love how easy it is to find new recipes, meal ideas, and even local restaurants all in one place. It’s like having a personal foodie guide at my fingertips!