12 Delicious Cheese on Toast Ideas

You’d think cheese on toast would be difficult to do badly and so it is if you don’t burn it. It is also possible to do it extremely well indeed.  

Obviously good bread and good cheese are essential.  

The bread can be initially prepared in the toaster or under the grill, to butter or not is a personal decision!  Add cheese and other toppings and then finish either under the hot grill, or if the topping is quite thick then a hot oven till hot and melty.  

But that’s not all; the humble cheese on toast can be made in a variety of not at all humble ways such as…

Spread something delicious on top of the toast
and under the cheese.

Add another nuance of flavour with a layer of garlic butter, pesto, tapenade, marmite, mustard, caramelised onions, chilli pickle or what have you, spread on the toast before topping with a complimentary cheese.  Flavoured oils are also excellent; for a really quick lunch just drizzle a little chilli oil on toast and sprinkle copiously with freshly grated Parmesan. No need to finish it off in the oven; it’s delicious as it is.

In the above picture you can also see a cup of “Chef’s coffee” which is really red wine in a coffee cup so that it’s not too obvious that one is indulging at work. 

Having said that, I have worked in places where drinking is not so much frowned upon as compulsory!  

Many a time I’ve been slaving away with a whole string of orders up when one of the wait staff have rushed in with a tray of Tequila Slammers (or Margaritas or, worst of all, Jagermeister – yuk) for the kitchen and the only way to cope is to down the stuff and get back to work! This was not in the UK, I hasten to add.

Add Mayonnaise to Cheese on Toast

Mixing mayonnaise with grated cheese (Cheddar is good but so are other hard cheeses) about 50:50 gives a lovely flavour and a creamy texture.  Ring the changes with garlic, chilli, fresh herbs, finely chopped red onion or other additions.  Spread thickly on toast and put in the oven till bubbling and turning golden in places.                                                                   

Cheese & Leek Rarebit

This is a slight variation on traditional rarebit. For two slices of toast …

~   Cook half a small leek, thinly sliced, in 20g of butter very gently till completely and utterly tender. See here for the best way to cook onions and do the same with the leek.
~   Stir in a teaspoon of flour and a generous pinch of English mustard powder to make a roux. 
~   Stir over a low heat for a minute or two and then whisk in 40ml of milk and 1 tablespoon of ale or dry cider. This last is not absolutely compulsory but is customary and very good.
~   Cook, stirring, till a thick sauce has formed then simmer for a minute or two to cook out the raw flour flavour.
~   Add 90g of grated cheese, Caerphilly or Wenslydale are traditional but Cheddar is too, and stir together till melted, season to taste. 
~   Put the toast in a shallow baking dish and pour over the sauce. 
~   Sprinkle with a handful of fresh breadcrumbs, which helps to hold the sauce in place and adds extra crunch, and bake in the hot oven till golden and bubbly. 

Locket’s Savoury

This is a classic savoury named after the restaurant where it was first invented.  Put toast in a shallow ovenproof dish and top with watercress, thinly sliced ripe pear and, finally, crumbled Stilton.  Finish in the hot oven and serve with a generous sprinkle of black pepper and accompany with a modicum of red wine.  

Brie, Bacon and Cranberry on Toast

This is a modern classic and an excellent flavour combination.  Simply top lightly toasted bread with brie, spread with cranberry sauce and top with cooked bacon rashers (smoky is best).  Pop into a hot oven till hot through and the Brie is starting to melt and brown.

Gruyère Croutons atop French Onion Soup 

For my French Onion Soup recipe together with the cheese on toast topping see here.

Tartines/Crostini

Tartines (a French diminutive of “tarte” but generally referring to little open sandwiches) or Crostini (Italian meaning “little toasts”) are much the same thing and croûtes take them a little bit further.  They are all delicate toasts with a rich and decorative topping.  

~   Slice baguette thinly, about ¼” thick, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with crunchy sea salt and bake in a hot oven till crisp and golden, about 10 minutes; they are delicious just like this but try not to eat them all!  
~   Attractively arrange a delicious cheesy  topping on each crostini; suggested combinations include thinly sliced red apple and Cheddar, herbed cream cheese and smoked salmon, Gruyère and sautéed mushrooms, goat cheese and Parma ham, creamy blue cheese and sugared walnuts – the list is endless. 
~   Heat through in the oven for just a few minutes and serve, as is traditional, with a simple green salad dressed with vinaigrette. 

Goat Cheese Croûtes

For a delicious last minute addition to salad toast slices of baguette, brush with roasted garlic oil  and top with creamy goats’ cheese.  Pop into the oven for a few minutes to heat and melt the cheese and add to salad while still warm. 

Bruschetta

More rustic than tartines/crostini, bruschetta (the name refers to the toast rather than the topping, coming from the Italian “bruscare,” meaning to char or roast over coals) are toasted bread traditionally rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and topped with fresh tomatoes and basil.   Surely adding cheese, for instance a creamy herby goat cheese, before baking is not totally out of the question!

Pesto & Mozzarella Toasts
with Roasted Tomatoes

~   Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/180ºC fan/gas 6
~   Halve cherry tomatoes, or keep whole if tiny, and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. 
~   Spread on a baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes till soft and collapsing. 
~   Toast bread, spread with a little pesto, add slices of mozzarella and bake for a few minutes to melt the cheese. 
~   Top with the hot roasted tomatoes and eat carefully – the tomatoes may burst all sweet and juicy in your mouth and make you dribble!

Honeyed Stilton on Toast

This is just gorgeous; the sweet caramelised honey is a perfect foil for the sharp, salty taste of blue cheese.  Crumble Stilton, or a similar blue cheese, over toast and drizzle each slice with a teaspoon or two of runny honey.  Bake in a hot oven for about 5 minutes till the cheese is melted and the honey is bubbly and golden. I had glass of dessert wine with this.  What would you do? 

Pizza Toast

If you don’t have any tomato sauce to hand make a really easy base for this, which is much, much nicer than it sounds, by mixing together equal parts of tomato ketchup and tomato paste. Spread tomato topping on toast, add your favourite pizza toppings (but don’t use anything that actually needs cooking as the pizza toast will only be in the oven for a short while) and just pop into the hot oven to heat through and melt the cheese.  Try roasted vegetables with goat’s cheese or spinach, Feta and pine nuts.

Five Cheesy Asides …

1.   My Daddy used to call cheese on toast Patty Faux Pas.  No idea why!

2.   Lots more ideas for things to do with cheese in my book Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers.

3.   According to the Huffington Post there is a scientific formula for making cheese on toast!

4. The image at the top of this post showes brie on toast sprinkled with utterly wonderful homemade bacon salt!

5.   Here is a close up of wonderful Davidstow Cornish Crackler  which I have mentioned before, over and over again, but just because it is so very yummy.  See the little crunchy crystals that makes it crackly!

See here for how to make the perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Incidentally my Dad, now long gone sadly, so I can’t ask him why, used to call cheese on toast “Paté Faux Pas”! No idea why.

And here’s a collage I’ve added specifically for posting to Pinterest. Please!

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