Drew Barrymore Says This Veggie Is the Secret to the "Perfect" Grilled Cheese

Sometimes the best gift you can give yourself during the holidays is a super-cozy meal that's also super easy to make. One of my go-to options is a nice, ooey-gooey grilled cheese. We have tons of ideas to zhuzh up your next griddled sandwich, like adding in thinly sliced apples or spinach and herbs for an extra burst of flavor.

If you want something with a little savory sweetness, you'll be all in on Drew Barrymore's suggested grilled cheese ingredients. On Monday's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, Drew linked up with Pilar Valdes, Barrymore's "culinary partner-in-crime" and private chef, to chat about their secrets to a perfect grilled cheese.

For the ultimate amount of melty goodness in this sandwich, Barrymore and Valdes opt for Gruyère, a yellow Swiss cheese you'll usually find on the cheese toast used for French onion soup, and serve it up with a bowl of tomato soup. While Barrymore said she'd be more than happy with a sandwich made with American Kraft Singles and a side of Campbell's tomato soup, choosing a nice cheese and whipping up soup from scratch is perfect for when "you want to up it for guests or challenge yourself."

Her bonus veggie add-in keeps the French onion party going: Barrymore first adds caramelized onions, then some grated cheese. Another tip for super-crispy edges: Barrymore butters her bread with room temperature butter rather than melting the butter on the cooking surface and then adding her sandwich to the skillet or griddle. According to Drew, that means you have just enough butter to grease your bread, but not so much that you end up with over-buttered, soggy bread.

To get started, Barrymore fires up her extra-large griddle (from her Beautiful cookware line available at Walmart), but you could use your favorite grill pan or skillet to cut down on cleanup. You could even go rustic and pull this recipe out the next time you go camping. With her bread buttered and sandwich piled high with onions and cheese, she gives her sandwich a few minutes on each side while Valdes finishes off the soup. The result is exactly the kind of "comfy food" Barrymore says she craves when cold weather rolls in.

No matter what you choose to sprinkle into your next grilled cheese, just be sure to serve it up with a cup of cozy soup, like Ina Garten's corn chowder or our delish Sheet-Pan Tomato Soup.