Fried Green Tomato and Bacon Grilled Cheese

With crispy and slightly tart fried green tomatoes, a mound of gooey cheese, and several slices of bacon, this Fried Green Tomato and Bacon Grilled Cheese is the ultimate southern grilled cheese sandwich.

Ok,ok, maybe not quite the ultimate. That would include pimento cheese. But this is pretty close.

Fried Green Tomatoes

The real star of this sandwich is the fried green tomatoes. They are one of my absolute favorite foods. I love them served as an appetizer, Fried Green Tomatoes with Peach Pepper Jelly Sauce , on a burger, or in a grilled cheese sandwich. I love the crispy coating and the tart flavor of a fried green tomato and could eat them all summer long.

They only improve when paired with bacon and covered in gooey cheese.

How To Choose Green Tomatoes

Green tomatoes are unripe tomatoes and they should be very firm and completely green in color. Once you bring them home, they tend to ripen fairly quickly so plan to use them within a day or two.

Stor them in a cool, dry place and don’t let them touch each other. They ripen faster if they are close together.

Choose A Sturdy Bread

I wanted to use Texas Toast for this sandwich, but I went to 2 stores and couldn’t find any. How can that be?

It’s a shame too because 2 flimsy pieces of white bread can hardly contain all the yumminess in this sandwich.

Fried Green Tomato and Bacon Grilled Cheese Recipe Tips

• Fried green tomatoes are best cooked in bacon grease in a heavy cast iron skillet. But you can also use vegetable oil and a regular skillet. They will be delicious either way.
• If you want to add some spice, add half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the flour mixture.

More Green Tomato Recipes

• Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes
• Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk Feta Dressing
• Cornflake Crusted Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomato and Bacon Grilled Cheese

By Christin Mahrlig

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 12 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Crisp and tangy Fried Green Tomatoes, bacon, and lots of gooey cheese make this grilled cheese sandwich a southern treat.

Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 green tomatoes,, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• ▢ 1/2 cup bacon grease,, save from cooking bacon
• ▢ 2 eggs,, lightly beaten
• ▢ 1/4 cup milk
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 cup flour
• ▢ 2/3 cup cornmeal
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ sugar
• ▢ 8 slices white bread,, preferably Texas Toast
• ▢ 8 slices bacon,, cooked
• ▢ 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• ▢ 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chopped chives,, optional
• ▢ butter

Instructions 

• Whisk eggs, milk, paprika, and garlic powder in a pie pan or bowl.
• In another pie pan or on a plate, mix together flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper.
• Dip tomatoes into egg mixture and then coat with flour mixture.
• Heat bacon grease in a large cast iron skillet or regular skillet over medium heat. When hot, fry 4 to 5 tomatoes at a time. When golden brown on one side, flip and cook until golden brown on the other side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with sugar and salt.
• For each sandwich, layer 2 to 3 fried green tomatoes on a piece of bread, top with 2 slices bacon, and about 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese. Sprinkle with chives and top with another bread slice.
• Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Place a pat of butter on the surface of the pan. Use a spatula to spread it out as it melts. Place a sandwich on top and cook until golden brown. Lift sandwich off pan with a spatula, place another pat of butter down and flip sandwich over onto the melted butter. Cook until cheese is melted, turning heat down if it starts to brown too quickly.

Notes

If you don’t have enough bacon grease, add vegetable oil.
The cheese will melt much better and taste better if you grate your own rather than using preshredded.

Nutrition

Calories: 1.019kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 71g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 1.266mg | Potassium: 478mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1.118IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 562mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Sharing with The Country Cook’s Weekend Potluck.

Originally posted August 12, 2014.