Butternut Squash Soup + Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I love a good soup and sandwich combo. Tomato and grilled cheese is one of my favorites, but tomato soup is best left for when juicy, ripe tomatoes are in season. Instead, I made one of my favorite soups, butternut squash soup, which I thought would pair nicely with a cheddar and havarti panini. It did! I loved dipping my sandwich into my bowl of butternut squash soup.

Trader Joe's make a great boxed version, but this soup is pretty easy to make at home if you have a few key pieces of equipment. First, roast a butternut squash (I roasted mine in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375°). Then stick it in the food processor and puree. Add in 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth and puree until smooth and even. Transfer to a large pot on the stove, season with salt, pepper, and a mixture of dried spices (including but not limited to sage, rosemary, oregano, and basil). Cook on medium high, adding in 1/4 cup of cream and 1/4 cup of milk. You could definitely just use 1/2 cup of milk if you didn't have any cream on hand or wanted to make it healthier, but the cream gave the soup a really nice texture. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes. The soup is now ready to be served (with a dash or two of sour cream on top), but it can sit on the stove on low heat until your paninis are ready if you haven't timed everything too well.

Our paninis were simple— havarti and cheddar (and Mama Lil's peppers for Dustin) on soft, slightly sweet brioche bread.

There was nothing complicated about this dinner, but it felt a lot fancier and really hit the spot on a lazy evening watching TV at home.