Why Giada De Laurentiis Adds Lemon To Her Grilled Cheese

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Why Giada De Laurentiis Adds Lemon To Her Grilled Cheese By Haley McNamara Aug. 28, 2025 8:20 pm EST

Longtime followers of Giada De Laurentiis know that the chef and TV personality adds her signature touch of lemon to many of her recipes — including a humble grilled cheese sandwich. Although a lemon grilled cheese may sound at first a bit far-fetched, De Laurentiis said, "It tastes so much better and even lighter when you give it a little punch of citrus."

De Laurentiis's lemon grilled cheese has a tiered structure: She takes fresh, thin slices of lemon cut into fourths with the peel included, and coats them in a bit of sugar. She then layers the lemons between thick, fresh mozzarella cheese and places both between two slices of sourdough bread that's been butter