As if we needed an excuse to indulge in a cheesy, gooey sandwich, next Tuesday, April 12th, is National Grilled Cheese Day!

While the classic white bread and American cheese version is a culinary staple, it can get a little boring, so I wanted to share a delicious recipe upgrade, T-fal's Four Cheese Gourmet Grilled Cheese.

2 Servings / Preparation Time: 5 min.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp (15 ml) melted butter

1 tbsp (15 ml) finely chopped

Fresh parsley

1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated

Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

A pinch of black pepper

4 slices fresh crusty bread, about

1/2-inch (1 cm) thick

4 slices Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup (50 ml) shredded

Mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup (50 ml) shredded Gruyere cheese

Instructions:

Blend the butter with the parsley, Parmesan cheese, garlic and pepper until well combined. Spread the butter mixture evenly over one side of each slice of bread. Place a slice of Cheddar, on the unbuttered side, of the other 2 slices of bread. Toss the mozzarella with the Gruyere and sprinkle over the Cheddar. Top the sandwiches with the remaining bread, buttered-side-out.

Turn the T-fal OptiGrill Plus on. Select the sandwich program and press OK. Once the purple indicator light has stopped flashing, place the sandwiches on the grill and close the lid.

Cook until the indicator light has changed to red or until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.

TIPS:

The combination possibilities for this sandwich are endless! Add bacon, ham, salami, turkey, tomato, basil, sage or roasted red peppers.

Substitute any combination of favorite cheeses for those suggested in the recipe.

Serve this sandwich with a hot bowl of soup for a warming lunch or light supper.

The T-fal OptiGrill Plus is the new, one-of-a-kind way to grill indoors. The innovative OptiGrill Plus features a cooking sensor that guarantees a perfectly cooked meal every time. The built-in sensor automatically adapts to the thickness of your food and delivers perfect doneness from rare to well-done for six different programs: burgers, poultry, Panini, sausage and pork, red meat and fish. The OptiGrill Plus' unique temperature gauge allows the savvy home cook to have total control when cooking foods on the manual setting. Users can customize and adjust the temperature from keep warm, low, medium and high, allowing for a range of preparation options beyond the current preset functions. The OptiGrill Plus features angled plates that allow fat to drip off easily into the extra-large drip tray. The brushed stainless steel exterior is sleek and compact for easy storage and the removable cooking plates and drip tray are dishwasher safe for fast and easy clean up.  Available at Bed Bath & Beyond. SRP: $179.99