This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.
Grab your bread, cheese, and butter because you’re going to get your grilled cheese fix today! We’re talking techniques to a perfect sandwich and some incredible recipes to get you inspired. Are you ready for this? Good, let’s go!
How to Pack Grilled Cheese in a Lunchbox
Perfectly crispy, toasted bread with gooey cheese, I would hate for it to get…. ruined.
Yes, it’s true, there is a wrong way to pack grilled sandwiches. Instead of toasted bread, it’s soggy and sad, but today, I’m making sure that doesn’t happen so your kids can enjoy crispy, cheesy goodness bite after bite. Here is how to do it:
- Assemble the Sandwich:
Start by choosing your sandwich filling, such as ham & cheese, turkey & avocado, or even a PB&J for the adventurous types. - Prepare it for Grilling:
Lightly butter or spray both sides of the sandwich, the outsides. - Grill It:
First, heat a non-stick pan over medium heat for about 15 seconds to get the surface nice and hot. Once hot, place the sandwich in the middle of the pan and cook until the bottom is golden brown, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip it and cook for another 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread is perfectly toasted. - Cool It Down:
Remove the sandwich from the pan onto a cutting board or plate. Let it cool to room temperature for about 5 minutes. Don’t skip this step! This prevents condensation (moisture) from building up inside the lunch box. - Pack It for Lunch:
Slice the sandwich in half and pack it in a lunch container with your favorite sides.
I’m so serious about this that I even created a video that demonstrates this process start to finish, click below to check it out:
How to Keep a Grilled Cheese from Getting Soggy
The number one hack to keep a grilled sandwich from getting soggy is allowing it to cool down completely before placing it in the lunch container. If you pack it in a lunch container while still warm and put the lid on, steam will be trapped inside, and the bread will get moist and soggy by lunch.
All you need is 5 minutes, or 10 at most, before packing it inside a lunch container. My teens will grill their sandwiches before they eat breakfast or go get dressed. Pack the rest of the lunch and add the cooled sandwich last in the container.
One last tip is to pack any sides, such as veggies, fruits, or snacks, in a separate compartment or container away from the grilled sandwich.
Lunchbox Grilled Cheese Recipes
When it comes to grilled sandwiches, you are in the right place. Something about melted cheese between 2 slices of toasted, buttery bread gets us excited to try all sorts of ideas.
Simple and tasty ideas like the ones above are the way to go when you want to build epic school lunches! Wasn’t it easy?
Other Grilled Cheese Topping Ideas
But let’s not stop, there are so many more ideas to try in a grilled cheese. Just take the basic recipe below and cook your way through the following:
- Cooked bacon strips and sliced avocado
- Marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sliced pepperoni
- Classic Rueben sandwich
- Sliced turkey, tomato, and avocado
- Sliced pears and Brie cheese
Best Soups to Pack with Sandwiches
Soup is always a good idea for a thermos lunch, but when it comes to a soup and sandwich lunch, creamy, simple recipes are best! Not that we don’t love ideas like these 5 hearty thermos soup recipes, but we don’t want to mask the flavors of the grilled cheese.
Of course, you’ll need a good thermos container to keep the soup hot until lunch. You can check out a few of our best kid-friendly thermos containers to get the job done plus instructions on how to keep hot foods piping until lunch.
Lunchbox Grilled Chicken & Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 cup grilled chicken strips
- 4 slices sandwich bread
- 2 slices Cheddar cheese
- Butter, for grilling
Instructions
- Layer the grilled chicken strips and cheese onto 2 slices of bread. Assemble the sandwiches and lightly butter both sides.
- In a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat, grill the sandwiches for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and continue to grill until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from heat and allow the sandwich to cool to room temperature before slicing in half and packing inside a lunch container.
Karlee says
One question, I assume this lunch is not kept refrigerated before lunch. What if the lunch is in the refrigerator for a few hours before eating? Does that change the bread texture?
MOMables-Laura says
Hi Karlee, this will cause the bread the cheese to get hard and the bread to dry out.
Jen says
I tried this today but it became soggy, don’t know what’s wrong. I made sure it wasn’t hot before I put them in the lunch box
MOMables - Laura says
It was not cooled down long enough. Sorry!
Faith Reed says
I want to send my kids with items like grilled cheese. Where do I get the stainless steel container you packed this grilled cheese in? Thank you.
MOMables says
Faith, you can find that container here: http://amzn.to/2kdSsZI
Jen says
I would love to be able to pack grilled sandwiches for my boys, but right now, we can’t afford the stainless steel containers (18.00 x 3)…for something that I’m not sure they would like in the lunches! Do you have any other ideas on how to keep a grilled cheese “warm” ?
MOMables says
it’s hard to keep food warm when it’s not inside a thermos for long periods of time. Yes, 3-4 hours is a long period of time. if you have a thermos, i suggest you cut the sandwich in strips and make grilled cheese stix. otherwise, you can try wrapping it in foil. if you are not sure they would like something in their lunch, you need to try it at home first, this way, you are not wasting food.
Sheena says
I read on another site to wrap the grilled cheese with foil to keep it warm. I thought it was pretty ingenious! They didn’t say if the foil kept the sogginess away though. I think it probably does. I will be trying it this year.
Anna says
wrap it in a paper towel and then foil to help keep soggy away. That’s how my Dad sends me breakfast sandwiches to work with Mom.
Renee K says
What a great idea–warming the thermos with hot water while the soup is cooking–can’t believe that I didn’t think of that! Cannot wait for the new recipe ideas! One question: when is MOMables coming out with her cookbook? I know quite a few people who could benefit from your fantastic ideas and recipes.
Laura says
thanks Renee. One day…
Jill b says
Any way to keep a grilled cheese warm for lunch.? She doesn’t like cold food. We have a subscription and love your ideas.!! Thank you.!
Laura says
Hi Jill! the ONLY way is in a metal container or inside a thermos. We mostly “grill” for the crunchyness and melting the flavors together.
Angie Rush says
When you place the cooled grilled cheese in the stainless steel container, do you add ice packs on top of it? It doesn’t sound like it would be safe to leave it at the room temperature. Thanks!
MOMables says
I do not pack ice packs when I grill a sandwich. I’m ok with it this way for my kids. Everything in the sandwich has been “cooked”.
angela says
Do you have the creamy homemade tomato soup recipe? Thanks.
Laura says
Angela, I love Alison’s recipe on her personal blog (she’s a contributor here). It’s simple and delicious http://thishomemadelife.com/creamy-tomato-soup If you like “thicker” soups… reduce some of the broth. Hers comes out delicious every time. :)
Andrea says
Hi! Was wondering where you got your insulated cup? I want to send soups, etc to school with my daughter, but she can’t stand the metallic after taste that the stainless steel ones have.
Thanks in Advance!
Laura says
The one in our post is a really old one… but in our “store” tab, click on lunch essentials and you’ll find a non-metal thermos on page 3. Sold right through Amazon.