Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be cooking grilled cheese with Guy Fieri over Zoom in the middle of a pandemic, but if we’ve learned anything from the past year, it’s that life is unpredictable.
In honor of National Grilled Cheese Day on April 12, and as part of Fieri’s yearlong partnership with King’s Hawaiian, the chef offered up some private coaching sessions to teach people how to make his “Ultimate Mac ‘n Cheese Grilled Cheese” sandwich.
As a grilled cheese connoisseur who mastered the assembly of Guy’s BBQ Trash Can Nachos in 2020, I had to accept. And while I’m happy to report that the sandwich was — as Guy would say — “dynamite,” the cooking process was…not. If you thought Zoom meetings were chaotic, multiply that by 15 and you basically have a Zoom sandwich-coaching session.
Nevertheless, we persisted. And I’m here to share the exciting tale and recipe.
Gathering the sacred ingredients
To kick things off I unpacked the grilled cheese ingredients, which had conveniently arrived on my doorstep earlier that morning.
All the ingredients to make Guy Fieri’s Ultimate Mac ‘n Cheese Grilled Cheese.
Image: nicole gallucci
If you’re looking to recreate this sandwich, here’s what the recipe calls for:
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1 package of King’s Hawaiian Sliced Sweet Bread
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4 slices of provolone cheese
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1 pound of loose Italian sausage
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1.5 cups of mac and cheese
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Non-stick cooking spray
To make the mac and cheese from scratch, however, you’ll also need the following ingredients:
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1 cup of American cheese, cubed
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½ cup provolone cheese, shredded
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½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
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½ cup smoked gouda, rind peeled and shredded
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2.5 cups of half and half
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1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
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1 teaspoon hot sauce
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½ cup of hot water
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1.5 quarts of cooked elbow macaroni (1 pound dry pasta)
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
The 30-minute prep
The grilled cheese only takes a breezy 10 minutes to cook, but the sandwich takes a bit longer to prep due to the additional mac ‘n cheese and sausage components.
Before hopping on Zoom with Guy I was told to boil the pasta until it was al dente and set it aside. After Guy called in and we exchanged some charming sandwich banter, I carried my laptop to the stove and we embarked on our cheese sauce journey.
I brought the half and half to a simmer in a large pot, and in a true Schitt’s Creek moment I stood there — Guy gazing at me through my laptop screen — and folded in the cheese. I threw in the cubed American cheese, the shredded provolone, the shredded cheddar, and the shredded gouda, and I thanked the heavens above that I wasn’t lactose intolerant.
As I smelled the delightful blend of cheeses, I whisked, and whisked, and whisked some more for good measure, and when the cheese was adequately melted and blended into the half and half, the sauce thickened and I added the cooked pasta to the pot.
(Note: At this stage in the recipe you’re also advised to add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of hot sauce, and “hot water as needed.” Did we do that? No! We forgot. But we’re only two humans on Zoom. What the heck do you want from us? Another note: The recipe also calls for salt and pepper at some point, but doesn’t specify which point, so I assume now would be a good time. You channel your inner Guy Fieri and do whatever you feel is right, though. Luckily, I can confirm if you forget to use any of the above ingredients the mac n cheese will still taste great.)
After you’ve pulled a David Rose and folded in the cheese, fold the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce, put it off to the side, and switch to sausage mode.
Thankfully my sausage arrived cooked, so all I had to do was heat it up in a pan. But to cook yours the recipe advises you sauté it over medium-high heat for about five minutes and break it up as it cooks. Once the sausage is browned, drain any excess fat, then you’re ready to assemble your sandwich.
The skilled assembly
Since this is called a camping sandwich, Guy’s official King’s Hawaiian grilled cheese calls for the use of a camping press — a hardcore fly swatter-looking square cast iron sandwich press that can be held over a campfire flame or used over the open flame of a gas stove.
If you’re an unseasoned camper with an electric stove, like myself, there’s still hope. You can use a panini press, a griddle, or really any skillet you’d normally use to cook a grilled cheese in to make this sandwich and it’ll still get the job done.
King’s Hawaiian sent me a panini press for the coaching session, and after heating it up I attempted to spray the insides with non-stick cooking spray like every good chef should. However, in the spirit of Zoom chaos I encountered a delightful nozzle mishap, so Guy told me to run to the fridge, grab some butter, and rub that on the insides of the press instead.
Once I ensured the sandwich wouldn’t stick, I placed a piece of bread on the press, followed it with a slice of provolone cheese, about a half cup of macaroni and cheese, two teaspoons of crumbled sausage, another slice of provolone, and a second slice of bread.
I briefly admired the culinary tower before me, closed the panini press, and searched for a clamp to lock it or a temperature setting to adjust. Naturally, neither of those things were present on the press before me (fun!) so I — very professionally — weighed the lid of the panini press down by placing the pot of mac and cheese on top.
As a first-time panini press user who was painfully unfamiliar with this machine that arrived on my doorstep minutes earlier, it became clear that I was a rookie. The sheer amount of smoke and sizzles that rose from the tiny grill in less than a minute admittedly made me nervous, and for a brief moment I feared I would start a small kitchen fire in front of Guy Fieri on Zoom. I prematurely lifted the top of the press to check on the sandwich before the required two to three-minute cook time had passed, and if I can offer you a piece of advice: Don’t do that!
If you are ever making this grilled cheese with Guy Fieri in your kitchen over Zoom, don’t lift the panini press when your heart tells you to — lift it when Guy tells you. Otherwise or else he’ll be forced to dad-yell at you: “That’s not burned, Nicole! Who’s the coach here?”
Guy’s golden grilled cheese.
Image: king’s hawaiian
The sandwich may sound and feel like it’s burning to a crisp in there, but apparently that’s just how panini presses work sometimes. Who knew! Though, in my defense, I was going by this single food-staged picture of the grilled cheese I’d seen, which looks beautifully golden and not at all burnt. 👀
The taste test
After the proper cooking time had passed (sorry, Coach Guy) I removed the sandwich from the panini press and took a big old bite. Let me tell you, for all the chaos that ensued while cooking the grilled cheese, that thing was MONEY.
It was my first time tasting King’s Hawaiian bread, and the slight sweetness of the toasty slices perfectly complimented the savory flavors of the cheese and sausage. The slices of provolone made for some melty, stringy cheese pull goodness, and the mac and cheese was a delicious surprise that added some serious texture. The taste of the sausage is what really set the sandwich apart from your traditional grilled cheese, though. 10/10, would make again. And I did!
My second sandwich attempt.
Image: nicole gallucci
Gorgeous.
Image: nicole gallucci
After my video chat with Guy ended I faced my newfound culinary fear and fired up the panini press one more time. I made another special grilled cheese sandwich, and am happy to report that I’m a pro at assembly now. The second sandwich really sealed the deal for me, and while I adore a plain old cheese-only grilled cheese, I suspect the next time I eat one I’ll be missing the extra Fieri pizazz.
You can learn more about Guy’s partnership with King’s Hawaiian and see the full recipe for Guy Fieri’s “Ultimate Mac ‘n Cheese Sandwich” here.