Break Out Canned Pumpkin For A Martha Stewart-Worthy Grilled Cheese

You know that if Martha Stewart is going to put together a classic recipe like a grilled cheese sandwich, she's going to put her own twist on it. That twist comes in the form of pumpkin — canned pumpkin, to be exact. A few spoonfuls of the ingredient can transform an expected presentation into a dish that could be found on a restaurant's menu — a sandwich so tasty you needn't wait for the fall season for it to be consumed.

To make grilled cheese enhanced with pumpkin, Stewart instructs at-home cooks to stir pumpkin purée with a touch of Dijon mustard, then season the mixture with a light dusting of salt and pepper. This spread is then leveled on top of your bread of choice, topped with grated white cheddar cheese, and crowned with fine shavings of fresh sage leaves. Once the sandwich is assembled, Stewart recommends covering the outside of the bread with butter before cooking it to golden perfection on a skillet. In under 10 minutes, you can be enjoying a more sophisticated take on this lunchtime favorite. 

Toasted pumpkin sandwiches can be topped with light sprinkles of crunchy salt, dried herbs like rosemary, or a hint of cinnamon to bring out the added flavors. Experiment and play with sandwich variations by substituting Stewart's white cheddar cheese recommendation for typical cheddar, and add handfuls of arugula leaves before topping the slices with sprinkles of paprika. The sweeter notes of pumpkin can play well with blue and gorgonzola cheeses, or try complementing an earthier, creamy goat's cheese with your pumpkin spread. 

To further enhance the more autumnal notes of the pumpkin grilled cheese treat, you can serve your sandwiches with comforting bowls of pumpkin or squash soup. For warmer days, crisp slices of apple can be served on the side, along with freshly made summer salads like roasted pear and manchego cheese or a mint and melon fruit salad recipe for a sweet finish. Once you've opened your kitchen to the possibilities of pumpkin on your toasted sandwiches, your culinary repertoire will quickly expand.