
Pumpkin Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Bacon
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Entrées
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 slices of bread
- 4 tbsp butter, room temp
- 7 oz shredded gruyere cheese
- 8 oz bacon, cut into thirds
- 1 cup sliced squash like pumpkin, butternut, or honeynut — peeled, de-seeded and sliced very thin
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/4 apple, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Prepare by setting out four plates, and two slices of bread on each. Use a tablespoon of room temperature butter on one side of each slide, and place them butter side down (this is the side that will get grilled.). We’ll call Slice A the top slice, and Slice B the bottom slice, where you will begin stacking your ingredients as they cook.
- Divide the cheese in half, and sprinkle it evenly across the unbuttered side of Slice B on each plate.
- Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, and cook cut bacon in the skillet until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, but keep the bacon grease in the skillet. Then, add bacon on top of cheese on Slice B of each plate.
- Add your finely sliced squash to the skillet, and cook 1 minute on each side, or until soft. Then, remove to a paper towel-lined plate, pat dry, and distribute evenly across all of your Slice Bs.
- Drain all but 2 tbsp bacon fat from the pan and add chopped onions, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10-15 minutes over medium heat, adding 2 tbsp water every couple minutes to keep them from burning, and giving them a little toss to scrape the pan each time. Onions will become very soft and deep brown (but not burned!) when done.
- Add honey to onions and cook 1 more minute while stirring. Distribute the onions across the Slice Bs, and add apple slices on top.
- Sprinkle the Slice Bs with remaining cheese, close the sandwiches so both buttered sides are facing out. Cook sandwiches on a new clean skillet over low heat, covered, for about 3 minutes. Flip, cover again, and cook for another 3 minutes. Since stoves vary, keep an eye that they don’t burn.
- Slice diagonally, and enjoy!