Acorn Squash, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Sandwich

The Acorn Squash, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Sandwich is my version of a Winter BLT. I was eating balsamic roasted acorn squash with shallots and garlic for dinner. The next day my dad whined about not being able to have a BLT anymore because it was winter. So I created this and I like it better than a BLT.

The magic begins with the leftovers. Simply roasting acorn squash wedges in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, fresh rosemary strands, shallots, and garlic cloves creates amazing savory sweet flavor. It’s the perfect winter vegetable side dish. I’ve served it with roasted chicken, Thanksgiving, and sometimes I’ve just had it as the main dish.

But truly, the best repurpose is this Acorn Squash, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Sandwich. Like for BLT’s, I like to use very crisp leftover cooked bacon. In my house we like to have breakfast for dinner, and every time we do, there is usually some leftover bacon. The next day you can bet at least one person will be having a BLT. But tomatoes in the winter are meh. What’s a girl to do?

Instead of settling for cold, hard, and cardboard like tomatoes in the grocery stores, do this instead. My favorite cheese to pair with savory sweet flavors is blue. I just love it with the balsamic roasted squash. The balsamic vinegar ties everything together in a hot mess of sweet drippings as you bite into your Acorn Squash, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Sandwich.

5 from 1 vote

Acorn Squash, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Sandwich

Roasted balsamic acorn squash is addicting enough, but used in an Acorn Squash, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Sandwich it’s even more amazing, especially if you’ve been missing BLTs in the winter months.

Servings 1

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

Balsamic Roasted Acorn Squash

• 1 acorn squash
• 4 shallots, peeled with root ends intact
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Acorn Squash, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Sandwich

• 1 large slice sourdough bread
• 1 to 2 slices thick cut bacon
• 1 roasted acorn squash wedge, scooped out of skin and mashed lightly
• leftover roasted shallots and garlic optional
• drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Balsamic Roasted Acorn Squash

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and deseed it. Cut each half into four wedges.
• If the shallots are big, slice them into smaller pieces (but keep the roots intact).
• Place everything in a roasting pan or a rimmed baking sheet and mix until everything is well coated.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the squash and bake for another 20 minutes.

Acorn Squash, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Sandwich

• Lightly toast the sourdough bread in a toaster. Cut in half (butter it if desired) and then place it on a small baking sheet.
• On one half, spread the scooped out roasted acorn squash, shallots, and garlic on the bread. Sprinkle with the blue cheese and a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar. On the other half, place the cooked bacon, some blue cheese, and some balsamic vinegar. 
• Place in the oven and set the oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven has reached 400 degrees, take it out, put the two sides together and eat or toast a little longer if desired.

Notes

Prep time does not include roasting the acorn squash, shallots, and garlic. Ideally, this is a leftover creation sandwich, so it will already be done. But if you want to make the squash just for the sandwich, prep time for the Balsamic Roasted Acorn Squash is about 10 minutes and cook time is 40. 

Author: Megan Wells

Course: Main Dishes

Slightly Blue and Not the Cheese

For the most part, the New Year has been going pretty well for me. I’m healthy, threw a dinner party, and went to an Argentine Tango class as part of my resolution to start dancing again.

I’ve had my first jarring set back though and it has me a little stressed out. Autoimmune diseases often come in pairs. My other one is sacroiliitis (rheumatoid arthritis of the sacroiliac joints). I haven’t been treating it because combining Remicade and surgery is a no-no. But it’s time to start it up again so I got a TB skin test done, which I’ve always had problems with in the past. It was positive (of course) so I got a chest x-ray, which was negative.

I went in for my first Remicade infusion Thursday. Apparently though, I missed the email that said my rheumatologist thinks I have a latent TB infection. This means I’m infected with M. tuberculosis, but don’t have the symptoms.

So now I have to be on Isoniazid (INH) for 9 MONTHS. I’m bummed-I just got off Warfarin to treat my blood clots and now I’m jumping to another pretty intense medication. I have to get my liver levels checked every once in a while, like when I was on 6MP and allopurinol, to check liver toxicity.

I’m mainly concerned with getting pouchitis or pancreatitis again and landing in the hospital. This medication has a lot of similarities to the stuff that was the most likely culprit for my pancreatitis and there are some possible dietary problems as well.

This year is the year of no hospital stays. I’m pretty done with that. I recognized the technicians when I went to go get my x-ray. One of the pumps that pumped fluid out of me was in my line of site and my throat constricted in memory. I try to be positive, and I’m sure everything will be fine. But I can’t help but be a little wary and hesitant.