Pear and Fontina Grilled Cheese
with butternut squash soup

Name: Pear and Fontina Grilled Cheese
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 lbs Butternut squash, peeled and cubed; 2 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 1/2 tsp Ginger, grated; 2 cloves Shallots, diced; 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 4 leaves Sage, fresh; 1/2 tsp Brown sugar; 1/8 tsp Cumin; 1/8 tsp Nutmeg, ground (opt); ~3 cups Roasted Butternut Squash (ingredients listed separately); 2 1/2 cups Stock, any type; 1/4 cup Yogurt, plain or Greek; 2 Pears, thinly sliced; 2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp Butter; 8 slices Sandwich bread; 4 slices Cheese, fontina (sub Swiss, provolone, or brie)

Active: 50 Total: 50

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

Adding fresh fruit to a grilled cheese sandwich makes it feel a bit fancy, but this one couldn't be easier. We like mild, quick-melting fontina cheese with the pears in this sandwich, but use another mild cheese if you prefer. Butternut squash soup on the side makes this a comforting meal that the whole family will love.

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Roasted Butternut Squash (for 2 nights):

Butternut squash - 4 lbs , peeled and cubed
Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp

Butternut Squash Soup:

Ginger - 1/2 tsp , grated
Shallots - 2 cloves , diced
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Sage, fresh - 4 leaves
Brown sugar - 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1/8 tsp
Nutmeg, ground (opt) - 1/8 tsp
Roasted Butternut Squash (ingredients listed separately) - ~3 cups
Stock, any type - 2 1/2 cups
Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1/4 cup

Pear and Fontina Grilled Cheese:

Pears - 2 , thinly sliced
Butter - 2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp
Sandwich bread - 8 slices
Cheese, fontina - 4 slices (sub Swiss, provolone, or brie)

Prep

Butternut squash / Ginger / Shallots - Prep as directed. Store squash in one container. Combine ginger and shallots in another container. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Roast butternut squash - (This makes enough for 2 nights.) Heat oven to 425F / 218C degrees. Toss butternut squash with oil (portion for squash) and some salt and pepper. Spread butternut squash out onto a sheet pan. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through cooking, until golden and caramelized. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Pears - Thinly slice pears.

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Make

Heat a saucepan with oil (portion for soup) over medium heat. Add ginger, shallots, and sage. Saute until shallots are very tender and sage is very dark and tender, 5 to 6 minutes. (Note: It is important to cook the sage until very tender to remove bitterness that is present in the raw herb.)
Add brown sugar, cumin, and nutmeg. Saute for 1 minute.
Add half of the roasted butternut squash (reserve remaining half) and stock. Bring soup to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes to let the squash get very soft and the flavors come together.
While soup is simmering, heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Melt first portion of butter in the pan and add half the bread. Top with cheese, pear slices (in a single layer), and remaining bread slices. Cook on one side until golden brown.
Add second portion of butter to pan and flip sandwiches with a spatula, moving them around to coat them in the butter. Continue cooking until golden brown on the second side.
While sandwiches are cooking, blend soup until smooth using an immersion blender or standing blender. Taste soup and season with some salt and pepper. If it is very thick, you can thin it out a bit with some water.
Serve soup with a spoonful of yogurt on top and sandwiches on the side. Enjoy!

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