Name: Ham-Red Pepper Jelly Grilled Cheese
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 2/3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese; 1 1/3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese; 16 slices hearty white sandwich bread; 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , melted; 1/2 cup red pepper jelly; 8 slices ham

Why This Recipe Works

To jump-start cooking and crisping our Ham-Red Pepper Jelly Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for a Crowd, we let the baking sheet preheat in the oven before cooking the sandwiches. When it came to the cheese, we found cheddar was full of flavor, but didn’t melt as readily as other cheeses. When we combined it with easy-melting Monterey Jack, we found the perfect combination of flavor and texture. Shredding the cheeses also helped them to melt faster.

Before You Begin

You’ll need two rimmed baking sheets for this recipe, or see the step by step "Plan B" (below).

Instructions

PREHEAT BAKING SHEETS Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions. Place 1 baking sheet on each rack and heat oven to 450 degrees.

ASSEMBLE SANDWICHES Combine cheeses in bowl. Brush one side of each slice of bread with melted butter. Spread each sandwich with 1 tablespoon red pepper jelly and then layer with 1/4 cup cheese, 1 slice ham, and additional 1/4 cup cheese. Cover with remaining bread slices, buttered side up, and press down gently.

BAKE SANDWICHES Remove hot baking sheets from oven and place on cooling rack. Arrange sandwiches on 1 sheet. Return to middle rack of oven, and carefully place second sheet over sandwiches, rim side up. Bake sandwiches until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove top baking sheet and transfer sheet with sandwiches to cooling rack. Serve.