My husband’s youngest sister, who just started third grade, recently told me she didn’t like “Wednesday Pizza” at school and asked me to give her a boxed lunch instead. I had leftover roasted butternut squash, so in the morning, I quickly improvised a flavorful hot pocket sandwich with 2 of my little munchkin’s other favorite ingredients: salami and brie cheese.
I assembled the pocket in a sandwich grill we have. I love this sandwich maker because it browns the bread and seals the sandwich perfectly. After they were done cooking, I wrapped the sandwiches in wax paper and packed them in her Disney Princess school lunch bag. The sandwiches cooled down to room temperature by lunch time, but they were still crunchy and delicious. If you were to make these as a box lunch for work, you could put them in the toaster to re-heat before eating. No microwave though!
1. Info for Butternut Squash Pocket Sandwich Recipe
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Servings: 6
- Calories: 120 kcal
2. Ingredients for Butternut Squash Pocket Sandwich Recipe
- 1 loaf Dutch Crunch Strip, sliced
- 7 ounces garlic and herb Brie cheese, at room temperature
- 6 ounces beef salami, sliced
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 2 tablespoons coarse-grained mustard
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons dark molasses
- 1 sprig fresh sage, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, cut into small wedges
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
3. Directions:
3.1 Roasting the butternut squash
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel and dice the butternut squash into 1½” cubes. In a bowl, toss the diced butternut squash in molasses, garlic, mustard, sage, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Place the butternut squash pieces without crowding them. Roast for 35 minutes, until golden brown and softened. Let cool. Slightly mash the butternut squash with the back of a fork.
3.2 Assembly time
Preheat the sandwich maker.
Spread brie cheese on both sides of the inside of the sandwiches. Spread the outside of the sandwiches with a thin layer of butter.
Place one piece of bread, buttered side down, onto the hot non-stick grill. Layer the sandwich with 5-6 slices of salami and finish with pieces of mashed butternut squash. Close the sandwich with a second piece of bread (buttered side up). Close the sandwich maker and cook until you get grill marks (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from the machine. Let the hot pocket sandwich cool a bit and separate the sandwiches in half on the bias. Transfer to a serving platter.
Serve warm or at room temperature with potato chips and veggies (carrots, celery, etc…) on the side.
Bon appétit!
4. Tips and advices:
- You could replace the butternut squash with pumpkin, acorn squash, sweet potatoes or your favorite fall vegetable.
- You could modify the flavor of the dish by replacing the molasses with honey, pure cane sorghum or maple syrup.
- For a vegetarian version, I replaced the salami with sliced button mushrooms.
- I used Saag’s brand beef salami.
- I used Le Boulanger Dutch crunch bread. You could use any other sliced bread.
- I used Fromager d’Affinoise garlic and herb double-creme brie-style cheese.
- If you don’t have a sandwich maker, you could simply grill the sandwiches on a flat griddle and press them with a large spatula.
