This Easy Bologna Grilled Cheese is a simple, comforting classic that always hits the spot. With crispy buttery bread, melty cheese, and warm bologna tucked inside, it’s the kind of easy meal that feels familiar, cozy, and delicious. It’s exactly the kind of no-fuss lunch or quick dinner that makes comfort food so good.

Delicious grilled cheese sandwich with bologna and melted cheese on toasted bread.

Now before you get all upset about bologna hear me out. I understand that not everyone is a fan of bologna. It is basically when you really think of it kind of like a giant hot dog cut into slices. That being said, we didn’t have a ton of money growing up so it is one of the lunch meats that my parents fed to my sister and I quite often.

My dad used to make us a lot of grilled cheese, sandwiches with bologna, kraft dinner, and instant ramen noodles growing up, and I still remember the time I was a kid and asked him to put a slice of bologna in my grilled cheese sandwich. Hmm maybe that was one of the first recipes I ever experimented with…. either way it was delicious and I will still occasionally crave them and make them.

There is something about the fatty content of the meat that just goes perfectly with the butter and the cheese and the bread. Don’t knock it until you try it.

I’d love to know what you think.

Make this Easy Bologna Grilled Cheese recipe when…

you want a little more protein in your grilled cheese
you are craving something super cheesy, rich, and indulgent
you want something different than the normal grilled cheese

Ingredient notes…

Here is what you’ll need to make this Easy Bologna Grilled Cheese recipe. Please be sure to check the recipe card for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Bologna: A delicious lunch meat. If you haven’t had bologna before, you can find it with the other lunch meats, or in any deli.
Bread: I had some thick Texas toast style bread so that is what I used. But I’ve tested it with sourdough or regular white bread and they work just fine as well.
Cheese: I think individual sliced cheese is the best for Grilled Cheese Sandwiches when you are trying to put more toppings on it than just cheese. They are sliced thin enough that you still have room for more toppings. I used slices of mozza cheddar. But use whatever cheese you prefer.
Butter: I use good old salted butter. I like to put it in the microwave for about 8 seconds or so to soften it up and make it easier to spread. There is nothing more frustrating on this earth than trying to spread cold butter and having it rip your bread to shreds.

Ingredients for easy Bologna grilled cheese sandwich on wooden surface.

Equipment I swear by…

A good non-stick Skillet

While the Easy Bologna Grilled Cheese cooks…

This is a quick recipe so you don’t have a lot of hands off time, but you could still make time to:

have a dance party while you are cooking
warm up some soup to go with the grilled cheese
use some lotion on an area of your body that needs it (don’t forget to wash your hands)

How to make it…

See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Grab your ingredients. Put a slice of bread down, then add a slice of cheese, a slice of bologna, another slice of cheese, and the top piece of bread.
Butter the top slice of bread and place in a non-stick pan over medium low to medium heat with the butter side facing down. (I find with sourdough or Texas style bread I cook on medium and it’s fine, with white bread I usually cook one less than medium)
Let cook for about 5-7 minutes if using thick Texas style bread or sourdough bread, and about 3-5 minutes if using something less sturdy like white bread.
While the first side is cooking, carefully butter the top slice of bread.
Once the bottom is golden brown and the top side is buttered, flip over and cook the other side until golden brown, about another 3-5 minutes.
Adjust heat if needed.
Remove from pan, cut and enjoy.

Making Bologna Grilled Cheese with butter and cheese slices on bread.

My tips and tricks to make this Easy Bologna Grilled Cheese recipe…

To make it as perfect as possible: Use softened butter. Keep a close eye on your sandwich as it cooks. Check the bottom several times throughout cooking to make sure you don’t overcook it, it reaches your perfect color of golden brown, and make sure the cheese is melting. If the bread is cooking faster than the cheese is melting, your pan could be too hot. Just keep a close eye on it and adjust the temperature if you need.

Hate Bologna?: If you really don’t like bologna or couldn’t find any, of course you could use any other type of lunch meat that you prefer.

Veggies: Go ahead and add some veggies to the sandwich is you wish to make it heathier.

Storage notes:

While I love hacks and saving time, it’s best to make a Easy Bologna Grilled Cheese fresh, and it doesn’t take much time at all.

Are you struggling right now…

If you are running low on energy, motivation, or time, I would just stick with my Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich instead of worrying about bothering with the bologna. It will still be just as delicious, and with less time and effort.

Close-up of a toasted grilled cheese sandwich with bologna and cheese filling.

Thank you for stopping by Comfort In a Bowl. If you have any questions, or made any additions/shortcuts that you think other people may love feel free to comment below. If you create this recipe or any other from our site, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to share, comment and rate the recipe! Take care of yourself.

Prep Time:2

Cook Time:12

Total Time:14

Ingredients

2 slices Bologna
4 slices Bread
4 slices Cheese
2 tbsp Butter

Instructions

Grab your ingredients. Put a slice of bread down, then add a slice of cheese, a slice of bologna, another slice of cheese, and the top piece of bread.
Butter the top slice of bread and place in a non-stick pan over medium low to medium heat with the butter side facing down. (I find with sourdough or Texas style bread I cook on medium and it’s fine, with white bread I usually cook one less than medium)
Let cook for about 5-7 minutes if using thick Texas style bread or sourdough bread, and about 3-5 minutes if using something less sturdy like white bread.
While the first side is cooking, carefully butter the top slice of bread.
Once the bottom is golden brown and the top side is buttered, flip over and cook the other side until golden brown, about another 3-5 minutes.
Adjust heat if needed.
Remove from pan, cut and enjoy.

Notes

Keep a close eye on grilled cheese to keep from overcooking.

You may need to adjust heat depending on type of pan and type of bread.

See ingredient notes for substitutions, storage notes, or tips and tricks all listed in the post above.

Servings: 2

Thinking about serving soup with your Easy Bologna Grilled Cheese?

My burnout situation…

Something I’ve thought about a lot lately is that I really don’t want this whole burnout situation to define me. Maybe that’s a little crazy to say considering I’ve decided to share parts of my healing journey with the internet. But I really don’t want it to become this big thing that is part of who I am.

If I end up nothing being able to go back to my job I don’t want to run into old coworkers and have them be like “Oh there goes Caitlin, this job was too stressful for her. She couldn’t handle it and had a huge mental breakdown.”

Or I don’t want people that I know to always walk on eggshells around me, or be worried that I am one step away from another breakdown or something.

I’m hoping that this experience becomes something that yes broke me, but allows me to build myself up even stronger than before. I want something really good to come from this.

Fingers crossed.

Conclusion…

I understand that this recipe might not be for everyone, because I feel like you either love or hate bologna, but I caution you to try it first before you hate on it.

Because it’s delicious.

Take care of yourself.

-Caitlin

Easy Bologna Grilled Cheese