A Bacon Jam Panini is the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich made with an incredible reduced bacon spread, gooey cheese, beautiful greens, and buttery toasted bread. Make one and be swept away to a magical place!
Bacon Jam Grilled Cheese Recipe
Everyone said, “she’ll never use it – it’s heavy. It’s bulky. It takes up too much space. She’ll get bored with it. It will just collect dust. I’d put money on it.” Any guesses?
No, it’s not my treadmill. It’s my panini maker! And I’m proud to say my panini maker gets used so often that it has its own permanent spot on the counter. Yes, it’s counter-worthy.
I think this sandwich speaks for itself, but just in case you missed the love affair this country was having with bacon jam back in 2011 – I’m going to tell you…um, it’s not weird. It’s not gross. It’s so completely the opposite of that. You need to make it. Stat. And then you need to make these bacon jam paninis. Stat.
…and you might want to double the ingredients, because you’ll want another sandwich the next day. Probably the minute you wake up. Trust me.
Ingredients Needed
This grilled cheese recipe requires just 5 ingredients including the bacon jam.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Thick crusty bread – You’ll want a sturdy bread like sourdough, French, or Italian, that can hold all the fillings.
- Softened butter – For the outside of the bread so it gets nice and golden.
- Bacon jam – This a bacon-based relish. Sounds weird, but it’s SO good. It’s made by slow cooking bacon along with onions, vinegar, and brown sugar before blending in a food processor. We also put maple syrup and brewed coffee in our bacon jam recipe. If you don’t want to make it, a lot of markets carry it jarred now near the jams and jellies.
- Baby spinach – Make sure it’s fresh, not frozen, and give it a rough chop.
- Shredded cheese – I typically use fontina cheese for this panini. It’s buttery and soft, mild and slightly nutty, which compliments the salty bacon jam perfectly. Gruyère or even Monterey Jack are great alternatives.
How To Make Bacon Jam Panini
Making this bacon jam grilled cheese is super easy. The perfect no-stress lunch or dinner for busy days.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Butter the bread. Lightly brush the outside of each bread slice with the butter.
- Assemble the sandwich. Evenly distribute the spinach leaves and shredded cheese on 2 slices of bread; spread the bacon jam on the other 2 slices. Put the halves together.
- Cook. Place on a preheated panini press; close lid and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. (See notes below if you don’t have a panini maker.)
- Enjoy. Slice the sandwich in half, serve right away and be carried off to a magical place!
Tips For Success
- Making bacon jam. If you just made the bacon jam, you’re good to go. If you made it earlier (or bought it) and it’s been in the fridge or if it’s jarred, then place it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften slightly.
- Use a sturdy bread. As mentioned above, you’ll want a sturdy bread for this grilled cheese. The bacon jam can cause other bread to get too moist and be unable to hold the other ingredients.
- Hate spinach? We love taste of spinach and pop of beautiful green color spinach brings to this sandwich, but if you hate it, just simply leave it out.
- Don’t have a panini press? This sandwich can definitely be made using a nonstick frying pan or griddle. Simply place a heavy plate on top of the sandwich, cook for 3 minutes on medium-low, then flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes – keep a close eye and adjust your heat if it’s over-browning.
Serving and Storage
This panini sandwich is best enjoyed immediately, as grilled cheese doesn’t reheat the best and the bread can get soggy. However, if needed, you can pop it in the air fryer for a few minutes or reheat on the stovetop – just keep an eye on it to avoid burning the bread.
More Grilled Cheese Recipes:
- Oven Grilled Cheese
- Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Muenster Grilled Cheese
- Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese
- Turkey Brie Grilled Cheese
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Bacon Jam Panini
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick sturdy bread (sourdough, French, or Italian)
- 3 tablespoons butter , softened, divided
- handful of fresh baby spinach
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese (or Gruyère)
- 1/2 cup bacon jam
Instructions
- If you just made the bacon jam, you’re good to go. If you made it earlier (or bought it) and it’s been in the fridge or if it’s jarred, then place it in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften slightly.
- Heat a panini press (see note below if you don't have one.)
- Lightly brush the outside of each bread slice with the butter. Evenly distribute the spinach leaves and shredded cheese on 2 slices of bread; spread the bacon jam on the other 2 slices. Put the halves together.
- Place on the panini press; close lid and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.
- Serve right away and be carried off to Nirvana!
I gave my husband a panini maker for Christmas. Of course, he doesn’t cook but sure does love when I use it! A great investment! Just made this and it was a big hit! Like a circus of flavors.
Oh good grief – I missed the bacon jam. I fall of the planet too often. How could I miss something life changing like this?? I must make this crazy tasty madness. I bet you could walk around like the pied piper with this stuff on a spoon. I love melted fontina paninis, too, especially in the fall and winter.
Savory and sweet together in a sandwich? Count me in. :)
So many people said that about my belgian waffle iron…and well they were right. But a panini maker…now THAT I use all the time!
This makes me want to go out and get a panini maker! Your photos are beautiful and this panini sounds delicious. I’m intrigued by the bacon jam. : ) Thank you!
My panini maker has been collecting dust but this sandwich convinced me to use it again. DAMN. If heaven exists, this sandwich is waiting for all of us. It was incredible.
I had to come over from TasteSpotting and see what bacon jam was all about. Oh my!!
This looks delicious! Nice pictures too. Thanks for sharing!
what a fun mix of flavors!
Bacon jam is AMAZING. I don’t have a panini maker so just used a pan – worked great. This sandwich was DREAMY!!
That looks really yummy.
I have a panini maker…so I made this! It’s a must!
I do want one RIGHT now so I think I will!! @ Pam a good sub for the counter electric type, if you have a grill pan heat that, put in your panini and set a smaller heavy cast iron skillet on top. Works like a charm!
This was terrific!
I want this so bad I could cry.
Weeping salty tears of jealousy right now…
I just got a panini make and this was the first recipe I tried. PERFECT way to break it in. OMG.