butter or olive oil for grilling and caramelizing the onion
Instructions
Chop the onion into approximately 1 cm squares. In a large pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onions and stir to coat in the oil. Let cook, stirring every 5 - 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan. Once your onions are a nice brown color, add a splash of water to help scrape off all the good bits from the bottom of the pan. If you've never caramelized onions, try reading this first.
Set the onions aside a bowl to cool slightly and wipe the pan clean. Return to the stove over medium heat.
Meanwhile, let the cream cheese sit out so it softens at room temp. stir the cream cheese, cheddar, garlic powder, and onions with ½ c of BBQ sauce. Taste and increase BBQ sauce as necessary. You want it to taste just slightly not BBQy enough, as the flavor will build as you cook it and it will get overpowering by the end of your sandwich.
Spread a little butter on each slice of bread or brush on olive oil. Add approximately ⅙ of the mixture to the unbuttered side of the bread and top with another piece (butter side up).
Place the sandwich on the hot pan and grill for 2 - 3 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook an additional 2 - 3 minutes, until the bottom is golden.
Repeat to build and cook each sandwich.
The filling can be refrigerated and used later if you don't want to eat 6 sandwiches in one sitting.
Notes
Nutritional information will vary based on the bread and BBQ sauce used, so I didn't calculate it. This tastes even better the next day, if you can wait that long to use the filling (I never can, but the left overs are great!) Use GF bread for a GF sandwich; use vegan cream cheese and Daiya for a vegan grilled cheese.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 sandwich
Recipe by Hidden Fruits and Veggies at https://www.hiddenfruitsandveggies.com/2014/07/18/bbq-grilled-cheese-with-caramelized-onions/