I love butternut squash. They’re plentiful in the fall and winter months, so I’ll usually roast one up for a meal at least once a week. This vegetable is so versatile, and chock full of fibre so it fills you up. Who doesn’t love a filling, (usually) healthy meal? I thought I’d share my favourite recipes here so you can cook up some butternut squash yourself.
First thing you gotta do with most of these recipes is roast your butternut squash so you can decimate it, as seen above. To do this, you just have to cut the top and bottom off your squash, the cut down the middle. Then scoop out the seeds using a spoon. Once your squash is seed-free put the squash so the cut side is down on a baking sheet that’s covered in parchment paper. Another way is to put it cut side down in a baking dish and fill with a few inches of water. With both these methods you then bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of your squash). You’ll know when it’s done because the skin is a bit brown. Once your squash has cooled down, you can start scooping out the insides.
If I know I’ll be cooking with squash and I’ve got my shit together, I’ll typically bake it the night before so it’s ready to be used when I get home from work the next day.
Alternatively, if you don’t have the time to bake your squash or want to be lazy I found that Superstore started selling diced squash in their frozen foods section (Costco’s been selling diced fresh squash for a while too).
Now that you know how to get your squash, here’s my favourite uses for it. Since I don’t like reposting another site’s recipe and pretending it’s my own, I’ve got the links below as well.
Chipotle Butternut Squash Alfredo
Let’s start with the least healthy recipe, I made this a week ago and had a lot of leftover sauce so I froze the rest and hope it’s just as delicious when I defrost it in the future.
I looked and looked and couldn’t find chipotle noodle, so I used regular ones and added chipotle spice to my sauce. I added pomegranate seeds because they’re another fall favourite, as well as chopped up pancetta because it’s fancy Italian bacon. Such a simple recipe but makes you feel like you’ve really accomplished something with your pasta.
If you figure out where to find chipotle noodles in Vancouver, let me know.
I’ve talked about this one before in my risotto post, it’s from Skinnytaste and a great intro to the world of making risotto at home.
Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque
I made this one on Sunday night and have plenty of leftovers for lunch this week. It’s been freezing all week and there’s nothing like a bowl of soup, this one is like a warm hug from inside. The squash and apples make this bad boy so thick, also slightly sweet. Don’t forget to add the candied pecans, they’re a great added crunch.
Oh god, these are amazing. But you probably figured that out when you saw it was bacon plus butternut squash. With this recipe, you don’t need to roast the squash beforehand. Instead you peel the squash (not an easy task, actually one of the worst vegetables to peel) and dice it up. I haven’t tried this with the frozen, pre-cut squash, but I imagine it might be a bit too soggy to do. The pre-cut Costco stuff is probably best since it’s already peeled and chopped, but not frozen.
These one of my favourite things to bring to a potluck or serve as an appetizer.
Give these a try and let me know which you like, while you’re at it you can leave your favourite butternut squash recipe in the comments.
The Rill Girls 