Sage & Cheddar Grilled Cheese with a Creamy Butternut Squash Soup! (recipe for both below!)
A fun fact about me: I didn’t ever use butter until a few years ago! I just never grew up eating it in my family, but thank god I love it now because it is an essential ingredient for a good grilled cheese! I used @clover.sonoma Organic Butter and Organic Heavy Whipping Cream in both of these recipes — when you’re using simple ingredients, you want all components to be high quality! I love how a little splash of cream in soup goes a long way and adds richness and flavor. And honestly, no soup is complete without a grilled cheese.
RECIPE
Sage Cheddar Grilled Cheese (makes 1 grilled cheese)
2 tbsp Clover Sonoma Organic Butter
2 slices sourdough bread
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar
4-5 small sage leaves
Using 1 tbsp butter, coat both sides of each slice of bread. Add cheese to one side of the bread, and close the sandwich. Heat up the other 1 tbsp butter in a pan on medium heat. Add the sage leaves, and fry for 1-2 minutes until crispy.
Add the bread to the pan, cover and cook for a few minutes on each side until bread is golden brown and cheese is melty.
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (serves 2-4)
1 butternut squash, seeds removed, peeled and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 head of garlic, excess paper removed
Olive oil
A few sprigs of thyme
Pinch of salt, pepper, crushed red pepper
½ tsp cumin
1 cup low sodium veggie broth
⅓ cup Clover Sonoma Heavy Cream
Optional: fresh basil, to top
Preheat oven to 400 F. Add squash and onions to a baking dish. Toss with a good drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle on some thyme, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cut off the top of the garlic head, add to the baking pan, and drizzle with oil. Bake for 40-50 minutes until squash is just beginning to caramelize.
Add everything to a blender (let garlic cool before squeezing out cloves) along with another pinch of salt and pepper, cumin, veggie broth, and cream. Blend until smooth. Top with more fresh thyme and fresh basil, if desired.