Harvest Vegetable Bacon Apple Melt

Your tastebuds will “Fall” for this Harvest Vegetable Bacon Apple Melt, with its smoky bacon, sweet apple, and savory vegetable cheese. 

Fall means warm layers, boots, scenic walks to enjoy the changing colors of the leaves, hot beverages, and CHEESE. That’s right, ooey, gooey melty cheese. When that crisp Fall air settles in, my cheese cravings become unignorably fierce.

A melt is one of my go-to meals to satisfy the need for cheese. And I’m currently crushing those cravings with this simple Harvest Vegetable Bacon Apple Melt. 

What I’m about to tell you should come as no surprise. The secret to a successful melt is…. Using quality ingredients! ESPECIALLY when it comes to the cheese. And for this Harvest Vegetable Bacon Apple Melt, I strongly recommend using Gilman Harvest Vegetable cheese. 

Gilman Harvest Vegetable is a beautiful cheese packed with veggies; it’s got your Holy Trinity of peppers, onions, and celery, plus tomatoes, carrots, and spinach. For me the onions and peppers are the standout flavors, but the combination of all six makes for a savory and veggie-forward experience. The combination of smoky bacon, sweet Pink Lady apple, and Harvest Vegetable cheese creates a melt that just screams Fall. It’s so damn good you guys.

Story time-out. I give my Mom props for discovering this cheese. While perusing the NE Farmer’s Market several weeks ago, she wanted to check out the Gilman cheese vendor. We each selected two blocks of cheese from a wide variety of delicious-sounding options.

It was love at first bite (lookin’ at you Smoky Jalapeno). I immediately became a fan; the flavor, quality, and value make this a crave-worthy brand. I have made it a personal goal to try all the flavors. It’s good to have goals right?

Plus I love supporting small businesses that produce quality products. If you don’t live near the Twin Cities, fret not, you can get your Gilman cheese fix courtesy of Amazon (this is an affiliate link). 

If you like this melt, I betcha’ll also like these cozy Fall soups:

Spicy Roasted Carrot Soup 

Roasted Cauliflower Corn Chowder

Harvest Bacon Apple Cheese Melt

Your tastebuds will “Fall” for this Harvest Vegetable Bacon Apple Melt, with its smokey bacon, sweet apple, and savory vegetable cheese.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 16 mins

Total Time 31 mins

Course Main Course

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 slices Master English toasting bread
• 6 slices cooked bacon*
• 1/2 (Pink Lady) apple, thinly sliced with a mandolin**
• 16 slices Gilman Harvest Vegetable cheese***

Instructions

 

• Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat.
• Butter each slice of bread, using 1/2 tablespoon per slice.
• Place two of the slices of bread, butter side down, in the pan. Add 4 slices of cheese to each, add 4-5 slices of apple to each, add 3 slices of bacon to each, add 4 more slices of cheese to each, then top with the remaining two slices of bread, butter side up.
• Cover the pan and cook for around 7-8 minutes. Low and slow is the way to go to ensure melty cheese and a super crisp exterior.
• Remove the lid and flip each melt. Cover and cook for an additional 7-8 minutes.
• Remove the melts from the pan, let cool slightly, devour.

Notes

*The bacon I used came from a butcher shop in Minneapolis called Ready Meats - it’s amazing :). 

**I used a Pink Lady, but I think this would work well with any type of apple with a crisp texture and slightly sweet/tart flavor, like a Honeycrisp. Avoid Red Delicious or Granny Smith here. 

***I know you just did a double-take there. Before you think I’m trying to give you a coronary, “slices” here refer to thin slices taken from a 16-ounce block of cheese.

Keyword cheese, grilled cheese, melt, sandwich