Tomato Bacon Cheese Toast
Here's our take on tomato bacon cheese toast (aka grown-up grilled cheese). It's sourdough bread topped with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, fresh tomato, basil, and onion then baked until melty and crisp. It makes a delicious brunch, lunch, or light dinner, and it's ready in just 20 minutes!
Enjoy this tomato bacon cheese toast with a comforting bowl of soup like our cozy celery soup or broccoli cheese soup.
This recipe was originally published in 2012. We've updated the post with some new photos and more information but we've left the delicious recipe exactly the same.
If you're a grilled cheese sandwich fan (like we are), you'll love this easy open-face version with tomato, slices of bacon, and basil. It's everything we love about ooey-gooey grilled cheese, with a few added ingredients that make it extra delicious.
We can't exactly call it healthy, but this grown-up version of grilled cheese (sorry kids!) uses only real, fresh ingredients.
Toast it in the oven until crisp for a delicious work-from-home lunch, or easy light dinner. It's easy to customize it with your favorite sandwich toppings and pair it with a salad or soup for a quick balanced meal.
Tomato cheese toast ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe for tomato bacon cheese toast:
- Bacon – good bacon is savory, salty, and a bit smoky. It's the perfect grown-up ingredient for this savory sandwich.
- Whole wheat sourdough bread – we love sourdough for its texture and subtly sour taste. Feel free to substitute for a gluten-free option, if needed.
- Cheddar cheese – any type of cheddar cheese will do, but our preferred cheese is a sharp cheddar for maximum flavor.
- Basil – beautiful fresh basil adds brightness and a pop of flavor.
- Tomatoes – large ripe tomatoes for slicing.
- Onion
- Sea salt + pepper
This sandwich recipe, like all sandwich recipes, is very flexible. Use more or less of any of the above ingredients to create your dream sandwich!
How to make tomato bacon cheese toast
Here's how to make this easy open-faced bacon sandwich in a few simple steps:
- Start by preheating your oven, and cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy, about 10 minutes.
- Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet, and cover each slice of bread with cheese (breaking the cheese into smaller pieces to cover all the bread).
- Layer on the cooked bacon strips, basil leaves, tomato slices, minced onion, salt, and pepper.
- Pop them in the oven until the cheese has melted then cut each toast in half and serve right away.
Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
FAQS
We love classic sharp cheddar cheese, but we also think monterey jack cheese or havarti cheese would taste great. Or pepperjack cheese would offer a spicy kick!
This sandwich is best eaten right away, but store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 5-8 minutes.
Sure! If you prefer turkey bacon, use that instead. Even veggie bacon would work for vegetarians.
What to serve with tomato bacon cheese toast
This open-faced cheese sandwich is great for lunch or a light dinner. We've even been known to serve it for brunch with an egg or ripe avocado on top!
Enjoy it on its own or pair it with a salad, soup, or french fries. Here are some of our favorite recipes to serve alongside it:
It's delicious with one of these crunchy salads
Or try it with one of these soups for a cozy meal:
And french fries always make a good sandwich side:
- Cajun Sweet Potato Fries with Blue Cheese Yogurt
- Baked Parmesan Shoestring Fries with Lemony Garlic Mayo
- Dill French Fries with Lemon Yogurt Dip
Popular sandwich recipes
- Best Bacon Sandwich with Caramelized Onions
- Grilled Cheese and Apple Sandwich with Sriracha Butter
- Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Crunchy Slaw
- Roast Beef Sandwich with Spicy Mayo Radishes
- Porchetta Sandwich
Tomato Bacon Cheese Toast
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 8 strips bacon
- 4 slices whole wheat sourdough bread
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese, sliced
- 8 large basil leaves
- 8 slices tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crispy, about 10 minutes.8 strips bacon
- Lay the slices of bread on a baking sheet and cover them with the slices of cheese. Break the cheese slices into smaller pieces so that all the bread is well-covered in cheese.4 slices whole wheat sourdough bread, 6 ounces cheddar cheese
- Top with crispy bacon, basil leaves, tomato slices, minced onion, salt, and pepper.8 large basil leaves, 8 slices tomatoes, 2 tablespoons minced onion, ¼ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Cut each piece of bacon cheese toast in half and serve right away.
loved it. much better than ordinary cheese butty.. i soak bread in olive oil first to avoid the bread too crispy
That’s great, Norman! Thank you for the comment!
this looks AH-MA-ZING!
Thank you! I have to admit that it was pretty fantastic 🙂
This looks amazing. The perfect entry for our recipe contest at http://grilledcheeseacademy.com!
Thank you! I wish I could enter your contest but it seems to only be open to American citizens 🙂