A Smashing Pumpkin Surprise

When this recipe arrived in my email inbox from Hungry Girl, I knew I would have to give it a try.  What could be better than combining one of my favorite foods, pumpkin, with grilled cheese?  It is so oddly alluring, that I couldn't resist.

And I was pretty sure The Captain would like it, too.  He is such a willing guineau pig sometimes.

The original recipe looks very good but since I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, I had to make a few changes.  I only had the original flavor of Laughing Cow cheese, not the Swiss (although I don't really notice any difference myself), and I didn't have any light butter, so used half the amount of regular butter.

Fun, different, and VERY good!  Here is the way I made it.



Savory Pumpkin Grilled Cheese
Makes 1 Serving

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light cheese
• 2 dashes cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Dash black pepper
• Dash of salt
• 2 slices light bread
• 1tsp butter, room temperature
• 1 slice fat-free cheddar cheese

1. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add onion and, stirring occasionally, cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. To the bowl, add pumpkin, cheese wedge, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Mix until smooth and set aside.
3. Lay bread slices flat and evenly spread the upward-facing sides with a scant smear of butter.  Set aside.
4. Re-spray skillet with nonstick spray and bring to medium-high heat on the stove. Gently place a slice of bread, buttered side down in the skillet.  Top with pumpkin mixture, followed by the slice of cheese. Place the other bread slice on top, buttered side up, and cook until lightly browned on the outside and hot on the inside, about 2 minutes per side, flipping carefully with a spatula.

Serve and enjoy!

Per serving.

Weight Watchers P+ = 6.

Calories 235; Protein 11g; Fat 8g; Fibre 5g.

This seemed like a lot of filling for the bread slices... and it is.  We didn't even try to pick them up.  A knife and fork made it all so much easier and less messy. 

The consensus?  Definitely a keeper and well worth the effort it took to put it all together.  Thanks, Hungry Girl, for another great idea!

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