Butternut Apple Cranberry Sandwich Recipe

This sandwich is fall between bread with roasted butternut squash, apple slices, cheddar, rosemary, cranberries, arugula, & pickled red cabbage.

This sandwich is, quite simply, fall between bread. It’s stacked with roasted planks of butternut squash, a layer of thinly sliced apple, white cheddar cheese, rosemary, cranberries, arugula, and red cabbage that I quickly marinated in a little apple cider vinegar. It’s like one of those next-day leftover Thanksgiving sandwiches… that is, if you had a really colorful Thanksgiving.

I made these last Sunday when the leaves were falling, the sun was out, and the air was crisp. I don’t know if it’s that cozy fall chill in the air, but suddenly we’re eating more grains with our meals – hearty sandwiches like this with thick crusty bread, grain bowls with farro, and curries with quinoa.

You’ll want to find a large thick-necked butternut squash to be able to get these sandwich-sized planks. I saved the bottom part of my squash for soup because, if you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a bit of a butternut kick this week.

And while I didn’t set out to make this a make-ahead sandwich, these components all kept well for lunches for two days in a row. The butternut planks can be reheated the next day and the cabbage will keep in the fridge for about a week. The only thing I sliced up twice was the apple. Slather thick slabs of grainy bread with mustard and/or mayo, assemble, and enjoy!

5.0 from 6 reviews

Butternut Apple Cranberry Sandwich

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the squash

1 butternut squash, sliced into 8 ¼-inch planks (this is easiest if you get a thick-neck squash and use just the top half)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
½ teaspoon minced rosemary
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cabbage

2 cups shredded red cabbage
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon maple syrup
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sandwiches

8 slices of bread
Dijon mustard, for slathering
4 slices white cheddar
1 apple, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
Few handfuls of arugula
Mayo, for slathering

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the squash planks with drizzles of olive oil, the rosemary, and sprinkles of salt and pepper. Roast 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
In a medium jar, place the cabbage, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and pinches of salt and pepper. Cover and gently shake.
Assemble the sandwiches with a slather of mustard, a slice of cheese, a few apple slices, 2 butternut squash planks, the cabbage, cranberries, and arugula. Slather the second slice of bread with mayo and top it onto the sandwich.