Who doesn't love a grilled cheese? And in the fall and winter, it's even better. So why not take the classic grilled cheese and make it completely fall approved. With a simple addition of butternut squash purée and fried sage leaves, your simple grilled cheese is now ready for the fall. I think you're going to love this butternut squash grilled cheese made on perfectly browned sourdough, so I suggest making extra squash purée just in case another grilled cheese craving comes on.

Ingredients

For this butternut squash grilled cheese, here's everything you'll need.

• butternut squash
• extra virgin olive oil
• smoked paprika
• ancho chili powder or regular chili powder
• fresh sage leaves
• sliced sourdough
• mayonnaise or butter, for buttering outside pieces of bread
• comté cheese, shredded
• cheddar cheese, shredded

How to Make the Butternut Squash Purée

The first thing you'll want to do is make the butternut squash purée. This will serve as the spread inside the butternut squash grilled cheese.

Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash cut-side up on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1/2 tsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and softened.

Let the squash cool and then scoop out 1/2 cup and place in a food processor along with another 1/2 tsp of olive oil, salt and pepper, smoked paprika and ancho chili powder. Process until smooth and set aside.

How to Make a Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese

Once the purée is done, you can move on to assembling the sandwich. Of course, making the purée beforehand will save you quite a bit of time.

Heat up a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the remaining extra virgin olive oil and fry the sage until crispy, about three to five minutes. Then remove and set aside.

Place the sourdough on a cutting board and butter the outside pieces with mayonnaise (or use softened butter). Flip the slices over and spoon the squash mixture over both slices of bread.

Divide the cheese evenly onto one slice and top with the sage leaves. Close the sandwich with the other slice.

Heat the same skillet used to crisp the sage leaves over medium-low heat.

Place the sandwich on the skillet and grill until golden brown on one side, about three minutes. Flip and grill the other side until browned and crispy. Reduce the heat if needed to allow the bread to get crispy, without burning and the cheese to melt.

Remove the sandwich, slice and enjoy!

Tips

For making the best ever butternut squash grilled cheese, be sure to follow these tips.

• Make the squash purée ahead of time: this will cut down on the cook and prep time. You can make extra for furture sandwiches too!
• Cook the whole squash: you can cook the whole squash, but you'll only need about 1/2 cup of squash for two sandwiches. Use the remaining squash to make this vegan butternut squash pasta sauce!
• Low and slow: for making any grilled cheese, you want to be sure to adjust the heat and go at a lower temperature if needed so the bread has time to brown and get crispy, while the cheese can fully melt.
• Butter the outside pieces with something: whether you use mayonnaise or butter, you'll want to butter the outside pieces so they can brown. My preference is mayo because I find it browns better, plus my butter is never soft enough to spread on bread.
• Use a cast iron skillet: personally, I use my cast iron skillet for almost everything and it's great for making grilled cheeses, I love my Le Creuset, which I've had for almost 10 years. A nonstick skillet won't get the bread as crispy, but it will still work.

Substitutions

As always, feel free to make adjustments or substitutions as needed.

• Comté: if you don't have comté, feel free to substitute in another type of cheese, such as gruyère, or simply use all cheddar.
• Dairy-free: use your favourite dairy-free cheese shreds that you enjoy.
• Gluten-free: use your favourite type of bread.
• No butternut squash: use honeynut squash instead.
• Sage: if you can't find or if you can't have sage, feel free to omit it. Or you could add some chopped rosemary or thyme to the sandwich.

As always, if you make this butternut squash grilled cheese recipe please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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