Classic Patty Melt

Personally, I like simple sandwich bread for my patty melts. Nothing fancy! I just use standard white or wheat sandwich bread and the results are wonderful. Don’t overthink it!

Swaps, Substitutions, and Suggestions

You can go crazy with substitutions here. Personally, I’d keep the onions no matter what, but you could add vegetables like mushrooms or peppers.

You can also change up the cheese to your liking, although swiss or provolone is pretty standard, and it’s hard to go wrong with them.

My only suggestion for this sandwich is to take your time. Don’t make it if you are rushed for a meal. It’s a relaxed sandwich for when you have the time to make a good comfort food meal.

What to Serve With a Patty Melt

A beer.

No, but seriously, it’s really good with a cold beer! Other than the beer, I like to serve it with bright, acidic or vinegar-based side dishes since it’s such a rich sandwich. Try pickles, pickled vegetables, Greek salad, green bean salad, or maybe an olive salad.

Classic Patty Melt

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time50 mins

Servings2 sandwiches

This recipe serves two, but it’s easy to scale up or down as needed.

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Ingredients

• 1 sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 8 ounces 90/10 ground beef
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 slices sandwich bread
• 4 slices Swiss cheese
• Mustard, optional

Method

1. Cook the onions:In a large cast-iron skillet set over medium to medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and sliced onions. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes until they are a deep brown color. If the onions are burning on spots, you might need to turn your heat down to medium-low.Near the end of cooking (about 5 minutes), add apple cider vinegar and stir to combine. Then remove from the skillet.Nick EvansNick Evans
2. Cook the patties:Shape ground beef into two thin 4-ounce patties that are roughly the shape of your bread. Season patties with salt and pepper.When onions are done in your skillet, set the heat to medium-high and add the patties. Cook for 3 minutes per side. If your patties are thin, that should be enough time to cook them through. Remove patties when done.Nick Evans
3. Butter your bread:Wipe your skillet clean and add the last tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Once the butter melts, add all the bread slices to the skillet, so one side of each slice is coated with butter. Remove two of the four pieces of bread and start building your sandwich on the two pieces remaining in the skillet (you can also do this one at a time depending on the size of your skillet).
4. Build your sandwiches in the skillet:On each slice of bread remaining in the skillet, add a slice of Swiss cheese, a patty, half of the caramelized onions, and top with the second slice of Swiss cheese. Top each sandwich with the slice of bread removed from the skillet earlier, buttered side up.Nick Evans
5. Cook the sandwiches:Over medium-low heat, cook the sandwiches for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.
6. Serve:Slice sandwiches in half and serve immediately while warm.Did you love the recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!