Grilled cheese sandwiches are a staple at our house, especially during winter. Pepperoni pizza grilled cheese takes everything you love about pizza and tucks it into buttery garlic toast. It is melty, saucy, and ready in minutes for a craveable lunch or fun family dinner.
Since April is National Grilled Cheese Month (April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day) I thought it would be fun to share a tasty twist on a classic. This version tastes just like pepperoni pizza stuffed between garlic bread, and WOW, is it good!
For more favorite sandwiches, try our French Dip Sandwich, Monte Cristo Sandwich, and the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Pizza twist. Same great flavors, but faster and easier!
- Simple ingredients. Budget-friendly ingredients you likely have on hand.
- Anytime meal. Serve for lunch, dinner, or as a savory snack!
Pizza Grilled Cheese Ingredients
- Unsalted butter (1 tablespoon): Melts in the skillet to toast the bread and start a golden crust.
- Bread (4 slices): Holds fillings well and crisp beautifully for a sturdy sandwich. The best bread for a pizza grilled cheese sandwich is thick-cut sourdough, but Texas toast, Italian bread, ciabatta, and classic white bread also work well because they crisp nicely and hold the fillings.
- Mozzarella cheese, ⅛-inch thick (4 slices): Melts into stretchy layers that deliver classic pizza pull and creamy flavor. Other cheeses you can use include such as white cheddar, Monterey Jack, and gruyere.
- Pepperoni, cooked briefly and dabbed (18 slices): Adds savory spice, the quick microwave step reduces grease and helps the sandwich stay crisp.
- Unsalted butter (3 tablespoons, for garlic butter): Carries the seasonings for a rich, bakery-style finish.
- Parsley, fresh or dried (¼ teaspoon): Adds color and a fresh herbal note.
- Italian seasoning (¼ teaspoon): Brings a familiar pizzeria aroma in every bite.
- Garlic powder (¼ teaspoon): Boosts flavor without burning in the pan.
- Salt (⅛ teaspoon): Balances the butter and rounds out the seasonings.
- Optional fillings: Olives, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, bacon bits, ham, sausage crumbles
How to Make Pizza Grilled Cheese
TOAST. In a medium skillet set over medium-low heat, add the butter and melt. Place two pieces of toast side by side.
TOP. To each slice of bread, add a slice of mozzarella, 9 pepperoni, and another slice of mozzarella. Place remaining slices of bread on top.
COOK. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until the cheese is melty.
GARLIC SPREAD. Meanwhile, make the garlic butter. In a small microwave safe bowl, add the butter. Heat until melted. Stir in parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
- Using a pastry brush, brush on both sides of grilled cheese. Cook on each side for 30 seconds. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and dip in your favorite marinara, if desired.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Because of all the gooey and delicious ingredients, you want to cook this low and slow. That way, the bread doesn’t burn before the cheese gets melty in the middle.
- If you’re making just a few, the stove-top skillet works well. But if you want to make several, I suggest using an electric skillet.
- Since the pepperoni doesn’t actually cook, you’ll want to place it onto a microwave-safe plate lined with a paper towel and cook it for about 20-25 seconds. This will also help release a lot of the grease. Dab it off, and it’s ready to go.
- Try using white cheddar, Monterey Jack, or gruyere, or adding olives, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, bacon bits, ham, or sausage.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 slices Sara Lee® Artesano™ Bread
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese, 1/8-inch thick
- 18 slices pepperoni, cooked in microwave for 20 seconds and grease dabbed off
For the garlic butter
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon fresh or dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium skillet set over medium-low heat, add the butter and melt. Place two pieces of toast side by side.
- To each slice of bread, add a slice of mozzarella, 9 pepperoni, and another slice of mozzarella. Place remaining slices of bread on top.
- Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until the cheese is melty.
- Meanwhile, make the garlic butter. In a small microwave safe bowl, add the butter. Heat until melted. Stir in parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
- Using a pastry brush, brush on both sides of grilled cheese. Cook on each side for 30 seconds. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and dip in your favorite marinara, if desired.
Notes
- Because of all the gooey and delicious ingredients you want to cook this low and slow. That way the bread doesn’t burn before the cheese gets melty in the middle.
- If you’re making just a few, the stove top skillet works well. But if you want to make several, I suggest using an electric skillet.
- Since the pepperoni doesn’t actually cook, you’ll want to place it onto a microwave-safe plate lined with a paper towel and cook it for about 20-25 seconds. This will also help release a lot of the grease. Dab it off, and it’s ready to go.
- Try using white cheddar, Monterey Jack, or gruyere, or adding olives, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, bacon bits, ham, or sausage.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days, or wrap each sandwich tightly, then place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Heat a skillet over medium heat, place the sandwich in it, and cover with the lid for 1-2 minutes. Uncover to crips up.
If frozen, heat oven to 350°F. Heat until hot and crisp, about 12 to 18 minutes. If browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for part of the time.
Complete the Meal
Sides to Serve
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
55 mins
Baked Zucchini Fries
30 mins
Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
2 hrs 27 mins
Pizza Salad
8 mins
More Sandwiches
Collections
This recipe was first shared April, 2018.
will you stop giving me ideas you naughty people LOL
Haha we’ll try to behave, but no promises!
These were awesome! The whole family loved them. So easy and delicious. We loved dipping them in some pizza sauce.
I needed something quick and easy and thought this was it! I saw it looking through different recipes last night and thought this was perfect for tonight because my grandson had practice late. It was a big hit! I will be doing this one again soon!
This recipe is a winner to me (even though I haven’t made it)because you include pepperoni in it like a real pizza.several years ago where at my work place I remember the boss ordered a dozen little Caesar pizza where half of the order was pizza that had nothing but cheese and pizza sauce in it. It was meant for a coworker who is a vegetarian, but thought backfired, because at the end of the day,I end up throwing out uneaten pizza because no one wants a pizza with no toppings on it .So I made a comment about the cheese pizza and a few coworkers didn’t like what they heard. I said the way this pizza was ordered with No Meat,No Veggies,is awful because no one would eat it,that I might as well take a bottle of ketchup and a piece of bread and pour it on the bread and call it a pizza.then this CoWorker said it was a poor man’s pizza just because I made this comment of comparison but this recipe is promising,I’ll try when I get the chance to shop.
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
It was phenomenal. Though one thing to watch out for is the burning of the bread. That was a problem with mine. But other than that it was amazing.
The grilled pepperoni sandwich is a quick and delicious lunch! It’s especially easy and great on the griddle!
Sounds great will try. Would like to print this can u make it printable
This was really good and easy to make. My husband loved it so I will remember to make it again soon!
These were a big surprise when I said “ grilled cheese like sandwiches “ they loved it! Thank you for the idea!
You’re welcome! So glad they were a hit!
Very good. My kitchen smells like an Italian Restaurant! I’ll be making this again. It tasted delicious!!
I love that!! So glad you enjoyed the grilled cheese!
Sooooo delicious…. My husband loves it. We dipped ours in marinara sauce. 🤤🥰
Mmmm sounds amazing!! So happy to hear that these sandwiches are a hit!
😋,GOOD and gooey ,add a bowl of tomato soup with some cheese sprinkled on top SIMPLY DELICIOUS!!!
Ooh the side of soup sounds like the perfect addition. Glad you enjoyed the grilled cheese!
What a way to add some great flavor to grilled cheese! My kids were in heaven! They love both so much, so combined as one, they loved it!
This is the ultimate grilled cheese right here! The pepperoni and italian seasoning took it up several notches. Making this again soon!
Well this is about the best thing that’s happened to my favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Who can resist pizza? It’s a genius combo. Thanks for this easy and SO SO yummy recipe! We’ll have it for lunch again.
Ooops! Forgot the stars.
Great! I forgot the Parmesan, and substituted left over spaghetti sauce, but they were still very tasty. Forgiving recipe. Thanks. Quick, easy, tasty, and very filling.
I found this recipe before i had surgery so my sister came over and made it for Me. Yum yum! She did change up and started cooking them in the Oven. Melt the butter and spices in the microwaVe then brush it on the break. Make the sandwich place in a preheated 350 oven for 10-15 minutes. I flip it half way through. Also its good with italian sub sandwich meat. Thank you for this one!
Sounds perfect! Glad you found it & I hope everything went well with your surgery!
THis recipe is AMAZING!!!!!! I totally recommend it. The seasoned butter makes the bread taste like garlic bread, and it has the perfect amount of pepperoni. The step where it says to put the pepperoni in the microwave and then dab off the grease is ingenious. It makes it so that the grilled cheese doesn’t get greasy! I always toast both sides of my bread, just to get more of that mouth-watering garlic bread flavor and also so it gets the bread more crispy. I also usually cook the pepperoni in the microwave for 15 seconds instead of 20. That way it still retains some of its moisture and it doesn’t get all dried out. MAKE this recipe!!!!
Awe, thanks so much for saying that! I appreciate the recommendation 🙂
Pepproni Pizza/Chesse, Bread… sMART AND yOU HAVE A CLEVERNESS ON MAKING FOOD. gOING TO TRY SEVERAL OF YOUR INVENTTIONS AND yES THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE. tHANKS bOBBY
Awe, thank you so much!! This is a good one 🙂
The thought of making grilled cheese with peppEroni is genius! So yummy and cheesy.
This is a delicious twist on the classic grilled cheese. My kids LOVED this recipe! So simple to through together too!
My kids hate plain grilled cheese, but love thIs pepperoni pizza version.
Delicious idea!! I get tired of plain grilled cheese & this was excellent!! my family asked me to make these again soon!
Very easy, fast and good. Even reheats well.
Yay! Glad you like it! Thank you for letting me know!
Such a yummy twist to the classic grilled cheese!