The Underrated Bread Swap Your Grilled Cheese Sandwich Needs

On those days when culinary inspiration is evasive or you simply don't have time to make anything extravagant, a humble grilled cheese almost always hits the spot. Yet, just because you are making a modest meal doesn't mean you can't level it up with minimal effort. One easy way to improve this straightforward sandwich is to swap out the bread you might typically use for a grilled cheese and use a naan with garlic butter in its place for an Indian-inspired twist.

You can use fresh minced garlic or the powdered variety; whatever you choose, add it to room temperature butter, then give the mix a quick stir. Slather that on one side of the naan bread and place it in a pan over the stove, adding a few slices of your favorite cheese on top. Wait for the garlic butter to toast the naan to golden brown perfection while the cheese melts, and you will have a grilled cheese packed with flavor in roughly 15 minutes.

Cheddar is always a winner in grilled cheese, but you can use something more complex to boost the buttery flavor. Any variety that melts well will work (which means, a bit ironically, that difficult-to-melt paneer isn't the best choice here). If you plan on pairing it with a warming three-ingredient tomato soup, something mild like mozzarella or provolone won't overpower your sandwich. Whichever cheese you use, you'll have a savory grilled cheese sandwich with a welcome chewy quality thanks to that naan.

While simply swapping naan bread into a grilled cheese sandwich improves the texture and flavor of the dish, it can still be elevated with a couple of add-ins. Incorporating some cilantro in the sandwich gives it a light citrusy character that recalls other Indian dishes, and adding some red pepper flakes would bring a bit of heat to the proceedings. If you like the idea of including some spicy notes but also want something sweet, adding hot honey to the grilled cheese achieves both of those goals — or perhaps some chutney would do well here, too. You can also just add a slice or two of tomato to give it a little boost of acidity.

One thing to watch out for when you swap naan with garlic butter for your average slice of white bread is how hot your pan is when toasting it. Too much heat and your bread will burn before the cheese melts. A slight smoky char could be great if you make this on the grill, but that is unlikely to be what you will get when cooking it over the stove. When you treat the naan with the care it deserves, it shines and becomes so much more than a mere vessel for the gooey cheese inside.