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The best fajita grilled cheese stuffed with sautéed bell peppers, onions, and zucchini sandwiched between two thick slices of toasted and buttered bread with a chimichurri spread, melted mozzarella cheese, and salted butter.
Grilled cheese is my go-to late-night snack and easy toddler lunch when I’m looking for a quick and easy meal. I mean melted gooey cheese and toasted buttery slices of bread. What’s not to love?
This fajita grilled cheese takes pretty much every regular grilled cheese to the next level with a chimichurri spread and is packed with sweet bell peppers, sautéed onions, and zucchini. It’s vegetarian but can easily be tweaked by adding shredded chicken or steak fajitas, but I promise, you won’t need it!
Here’s why I really love this recipe ❤️
- It’s incredibly delicious. Making a grilled cheese is pretty straightforward, but adding a little chimichurri sauce and some sautéed fajita vegetables really makes it one of the best-grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever had. SO much flavor with every bite.
- Don’t be scared of the veggies. I know adding vegetables seems like a big no-no to classic grilled cheese loyalists, but I promise it doesn’t detract from the flavor. This isn’t a healthy grilled cheese recipe whatsoever. The veggies just enhance the buttery goodness of the bread and cheese and pair so perfectly with the chimichurri sauces
Key Ingredients
This is an overview of the key ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe, please scroll down to the bottom of the post.
- Bell peppers: A staple ingredient in fajita veggies (like in my chicken fajitas and shrimp fajitas). I used a combination of red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, but feel free to use any combination you’d like.
- Red onion: It has a stronger and tangier flavor than other types of onions, but you can easily swap it out for a white or yellow onion.
- Zucchini: A great way to add more veggies since it has a mild flavor and similar texture to the other fajita veggies. You could also use a yellow squash.
- Seasonings: A simple mix of kosher salt, black pepper, and cumin gives the vegetables a boost of extra flavor.
- Salted butter: Melted butter is an absolute must for toasting grilled cheeses and quesadillas. I like to use salted butter since it adds an extra layer of flavor, but you can easily use unsalted.
- Bread: An important, if not the most important, component of a grilled cheese is the bread. You want to choose a thicker and denser type of bread to get the perfect combination of a toasty crust that still has a soft and chewy crumb and is able to hold its structure with all the filling. A hearty sourdough and rye are great options.
- Chimichurri: A simple grilled cheese usually doesn’t have a sauce, but this one is a must. This quick and easy chimichurri comes together in 5 minutes and adds a great layer of tangy, fresh, and bright flavor. You can make a batch of my favorite chimichurri sauce (that I also use to make my chimichurri chicken!) or use your favorite jarred variety.
- Cheese: Gooey and rich melted cheese holds all the delicious filling together. I used mozzarella for a creamy and mild flavor, but you can use other cheeses like Swiss, Colby jack, pepper jack, or white cheddar.
How to Make A Fajita Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Cook the onions, garlic, bell peppers, zucchini, and seasonings in a large skillet over medium-high heat in a bit of olive oil until softened.
Toast two slices of bread in a hot skillet with melted butter on both sides. Then assemble the grilled cheese in the pan by spreading 1 tablespoon of the chimichurri sauce and layering 1 slice of mozzarella cheese, ¾ cup of fajita veggies, and an additional slice of cheese on one slice of toasted bread.
Top with the other slice of toasted bread and press down with a spatula to melt the cheese and bind all the ingredients together inside the sandwich. Flip it over when the mozzarella starts to melt and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes until golden brown and toasted on the outside.
Slice in half and enjoy your life.
Recipe Tips
- Swap the sauce. Chimichurri adds a layer of bright and tangy flavor, but you can easily swap it out for a creamy guacamole, chipotle mayo, or jalapeño ranch dressing.
- Pick the right bread. Grilled cheeses need a thick bread with a denser crumb so it can hold up to the fillings. I like to use sourdough or rye.
- Try a different cheese. Mozzarella has a creamy and mild flavor, but you can also use sliced Swiss, Colby jack, pepper jack, or white cheddar.
- Add some protein. You can add some chopped carne asada or carnitas for some added protein.
- Make it vegan. Use olive oil or margarine instead of butter and swap the cheese for vegan cheese to make this recipe vegan-friendly.
Storing and Reheating
To store, place the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, place the grilled cheese on a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until the cheese is melted. You can also toast it in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes. Whatever you do, avoid the microwave! It will make the bread soggy.
More Recipes To Try
Did you make this fajita grilled cheese recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! I love hearing about your experience, and it also helps others.
Fajita Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large red onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 bell peppers, sliced (red, yellow, and orange)
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced or ribboned with a peeler
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 slices hearty sandwich bread, like sourdough or rye
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the onions and garlic. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the bell peppers, zucchini, salt, cumin, and black pepper. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a separate skillet, melt ½ tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Place two slices of bread onto the melted butter and toast for 1-2 minutes. Repeat on the other side with another ½ tablespoon of butter.
- Assemble the grilled cheese in the pan by spreading 1 tablespoon of the chimichurri sauce, and layering 1 slice of mozzarella cheese, ¾ cup fajita veggies, and an additional slice of cheese on one slice of toasted bread. Top with the other slice of toasted bread and press down with a spatula to melt the cheese and bind all the ingredients together inside the sandwich.
- Flip the grilled cheese over when the mozzarella starts to melt and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes.
- Repeat this process with the remaining ingredients to make all the grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Slice in half and serve.
Notes
- Cheese. Mozzarella has a creamy and mild flavor, but you can also use sliced Swiss, Colby jack, pepper jack, or shredded sharp cheddar.
- Bread. Grilled cheeses need a thick bread with a denser crumb so it can hold up to the fillings. I like to use sourdough or rye, but you could use your favorite white bread as well.
- Chimichurri. You can make a batch of my favorite chimichurri sauce or use your favorite jarred variety.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in September 2016 and has been updated with new photos and more helpful tips.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
Amazing! Love the flavor and texture from bread, vegetables and cheese. And that chimichurri sauce – are you kidding me? I have frequently made fajita nachos and fajita quesadillas but never thought about fajita grilled cheese. Brilliant
Thank you Lu!
I’ve never been a huge fan of fajitas but this grilled cheese is amazing! This is my second week in a row eating this because it hits the spot every time. The chimichurri really makes it pop.
Thank you so much, Renee! I’m so happy you love it!
all looks just like Mom did it!
Looks amazing and I love gifs! Whoop! Whoop! You did a great job.