| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon, thinly sliced (4 strips)
- 8 ounces Tuscan kale, thinly sliced (about 6 cups sliced)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil cooking spray, for the baking sheet
- 1 small acorn squash, halved, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 slices bread
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 slices pepper jack cheese
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the greens: Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crispy and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Set the bacon aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the kale to the pan and toss in the bacon fat. Add the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of water and a pinch of black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until wilted down, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bacon. Set aside for sandwich assembly.
- For the squash: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with olive oil spray. Spread out the slices of squash on the baking sheet and spray the squash generously with the olive oil spray. Sprinkle with the garlic salt, black pepper, paprika and cinnamon. Roast until softened, 45 to 55 minutes. Set aside for sandwich assembly.
- For the sandwiches: Lay 2 slices of bread on a work surface. Place a slice of American cheese on a bread slice. Spread 1/4 cup of the greens over the cheese. Place 2 pieces of squash on top. Cover with a piece of pepper jack cheese. Top with a slice of bread. Repeat to assemble 3 more sandwiches.
- Place a large nonstick pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Put the sandwiches in the pan and press down with a spatula. Cook until the cheese begins to melt and the bread turns golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Slice in half.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 616 |
| Total Fat | 39 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 45 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Cholesterol | 88 mg |
| Sodium | 973 mg |
Reviews
I love this sandwich and am currently making one for dinner. I really like both squash & kale – wonderful way to get some veggies in…plus I did a drizzle of honey mixed with Calabrian chilis to give it a little some extra
Kl
SO GOOD! The squash adds another “cheesy” element that put it over the top. Next time I would add maybe a balsamic reduction or some jalapeños.
I didn’t add the garlic salt to the acorn squash. It just didn’t seem to “go” but I could eat the squash on its on l own. I did add some red pepper flakes to the kale which kicked it up a bit. I used more bacon and didn’t add it back to the kale but rather placed out on the sandwich itself. Even my youngest who’s pickier than the others ate this one.
I served it with Trisha’s creamy tomato soup.
Amazing.
These are sooooooooo good!!! Made mine on ciabatta bread, VERY VERY GOOD!!
I used way more bacon for this recipe. I kept the cooked bacon in strips and layered them whole in the sandwich at the end. I just wilted the kale (only slightly) in a tad (not ALL) on the remaining bacon grease. And for half the cheese, I used goat cheese because I think goat goes perfectly with squash. These were a perfect elevated blt/grilled cheese.