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These delicious molletes grilled cheese sandwiches are inspired in the traditional Mexican molletes recipe. Loaded with refried beans, gooey melted cheese, and home-made pico de gallo between two slices of thick, buttery brioche these grilled cheese sandwiches are everything you love about molletes but cheesier!

For the last couple of days I have been craving molletes, a traditional Mexican open face sandwich with melted cheese. Molletes is one of those comfort foods that always makes me feel better about the world. It’s like biting into a piece of home, into food that is filled with love. Well, isn’t that what comfort food is all about?

Molletes are usually an open faced sandwich but I wanted something that was easier to eat, not as messy. I decided to give the traditional molletes a little twist and created a molletes grilled cheese sandwich and the result was amazing. This is, without a doubt, my new favorite grilled cheese sandwich. It’s not only the combination of the warm refried beans (I still use the same brand my mom used when I was growing up), gooey Oaxaca cheese and fresh pico the gallo, it’s also the fantastic, thick buttery bread. That is why I used Sara Lee® Artesano™ Brioche Bread to make my molletes grilled sandwiches with family-pleasing and praise evoking results.

Click the below image to add Sara Lee® Artesano™ Brioche Bread to your Walmart Grocery cart.

I love that this recipe is super easy to make and it works well for lunch, dinner or as an afternoon snack. It’s filling so for me one of these sandwiches leaves me satisfied and it’s also a great vegetarian option if you’re looking for a meatless meal that is easy, different and can be enjoyed on the dinner table or while watching your favorite show.

What are molletes?

So if you’ve never had molletes you’re probably wondering what they are. Molletes are a traditional Mexican open-faced sandwich. They are made with refried beans, which can be black or red, melty Mexican cheese and topped with fresh pico de gallo.

What are the ingredients to make Mexican molletes?

Molletes are super easy to make and you just need a few basic ingredients. And when making molletes grilled cheese sandwiches you will be using the same ingredients. You’re simply adding a bit more cheese and making this a closed sandwich instead of an open-faced sandwich.

Bread: molletes are usually made with bolillo bread but really any thick or crusty bread will do. Just make sure to toast your bread first on both sides. I like to place the bread over a griddle and sometimes will add a bit of butter or mayo to achieve the perfect golden toast. My new favorite bread to make molletes is Artesano Brioche Bread, it’s convenient, it’s thick and most importantly it’s delicious!

Beans: molletes are traditionally made with refried beans. They can be black beans or red beans. You can make refried beans from scratch or use canned refried beans. I will be totally honest here, I grew up eating canned refried beans and I use the same brand of canned refried beans I used to eat back in Guatemala as a kid. I can find them at Walmart in the Hispanic aisle section so if you find canned beans that you like there is no need to make them from scratch. I sauté some finely chopped onion with a bit of butter and then add the canned refried beans to heat up. This gives them a delicious flavor.

Cheese: molletes are traditionally made with Oaxaca cheese, a Mexican cheese that is perfect for melting and very similar to mozzarella. If you do not have Oaxaca cheese you can use mozzarella, shredded Mexican blend cheese or any cheese that melts well and doesn’t have a strong flavor.

Pico de gallo or salsa: You can use store-bought pico de gallo, which you can find in the refrigerated vegetable section at Walmart or you can also use store-bought salsa. I like to make my own fresh pico de gallo and always have some in the fridge. To make the pico de gallo I use ripe vine or Roma tomatoes and remove the seeds before chopping them. I mix the chopped tomato with finely chopped onion, fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I will also add some diced jalapeños to give it some heat.

What is the best bread to make a grilled cheese sandwich?

I come from a long line of grilled cheese lovers. So much so that my youngest brother makes a living from making grilled cheese sandwiches. I kid you not. He has a grilled cheese sandwich food truck and one thing that I learned from him is that to make the perfect grilled cheese you can’t focus only on the cheese. You need to choose the right bread.

We have been buying and loving Sara Lee Artesano™ Bread, the ORIGINAL artisan-style sliced bread, and recently I purchased the NEW Sara Lee® Artesano™ Brioche Bread and let me tell you this sliced bread is the best thing since sliced bread. Artesano Brioche Bread is made with real butter, sea salt, and a touch of milk. The slices are thick yet soft and filled with a slightly sweet buttery taste. They are perfect for grilling, there’s no need to add butter or mayo on the outside of your grilled cheese when you use Artesano Brioche Bread. You can get your Artesano Brioche bread at Walmart using online Grocery service or delivery.

And I love that both Artesano Bread and Artesano Brioche Bread have no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors, and no artificial colors so I can feel good about giving it to my family.

For me, it’s important to support companies that are giving back the community, especially now when there is so much need. Bimbo Bakeries has partnered with Feeding America through food donations and volunteerism, supporting the neighbors and communities where we live, work, and serve. We have always purchased Bimbo products as I grew up consuming Bimbo products and I feel good about purchasing their products and supporting them as they support the community!

Mexican Molletes Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

• 8 slices of Artesano Brioche Bread
• 1 cup shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of refried black or red beans
• 1 cup of pico de gallo or salsa

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 400 F.
• Place the slices of Brioche on the griddle over medium heat. Cook for a minute or two slightly browned. Remove from griddle and place browned side up.
• Spread 2-3 tablespoons of refried beans over half of the bread slices. Make sure you’re spreading the beans on the toasted side of your bread.
• Sprinkle all of the slices with shredded cheese.

• Place all of the slices of bread on a lightly greased baking sheet, cheese facing up. Bake for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the bread is golden brown.
• Remove from oven and immediately add 2 tablespoons of pico de gallo or salsa to one side of your sandwiches and close the sandwiches.

Notes:

This method is great for making grilled cheese sandwiches for the entire family, no need to make these in batches on the skillet.

For these molletes sandwiches I like the combination of the warm beans and melted cheese with the freshness and crunch of the pico the gallo and that is why I add it at the end. However, feel free to add the pico the Gallo to one side of your sandwiches before putting them in the oven.

If you have not tried the new Artesano Brioche Bread you’re really missing out. You can order it online at Walmart and pick it up or have it delivered along with the rest of your groceries so there is no need to leave home.

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Mexican Molletes Grilled Cheese Sandwich

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Ingredients

• 8 slices of Artesano Brioche Bread
• 1 cup shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of refried black or red beans
• 1 cup of pico de gallo or salsa

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400 F.
2. Place the slices of Brioche on the griddle over medium heat. Cook for a minute or two slightly browned. Remove from griddle and place browned side up.
3. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of refried beans over half of the bread slices. Make sure you're spreading the beans on the toasted side of your bread.
4. Sprinkle all of the slices with shredded cheese.
5. Place all of the slices of bread on a lightly greased baking sheet, cheese facing up. Bake for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the bread is golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and immediately add 2 tablespoons of pico de gallo or salsa to one side of your sandwiches and close the sandwiches.

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Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz

Paula moved from her native Guatemala to SW Florida with her husband and two children and together they are discovering what it means to live life between two languages.

Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .

When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.

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