Butternut Squash Three Ways

by Wendy Bright-Fallon

There was a huge butternut squash sitting on my kitchen counter begging to be cooked so I started to play with simple ingredients.

There are only four weeks left this winter and winter squash is a tasty, somewhat sweet vegetable to indulge in. Here are three ideas worth exploring. I made all three with one large squash.

First, I baked the whole squash. I like this method because it makes the trimming so much easier. Take the whole squash, poke it with several slits with a sharp knife so it can let out the heat. I put the whole squash in a baking dish with a little bit of water in the bottom – about 1/2 inch. Bake for about 30minutes on 325 degrees. Let cool so you can handle it.

Cut off the long neck. Keep the neck whole for now and trim off the skin. Set aside for Recipe #2 and #3.

RECIPE #1 – Roasted Squash and Pasta

Take the bulb end of the squash – cut it in half, scoop out the seeds [set seeds aside if you wish to save them and make toasted seeds using this recipe.] Trim off the skin. Chop remaining squash into bite size pieces.

Butternut Squash and Pasta
Cooked pasta of choice – save about 1 cup of the liquid from the cooked pasta for the final dish. (I like the brand Andean Dream because it has a nice protein count by using quinoa, has no corn fillers, and is gluten free.)

• 1-2 cups broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T butter
• 1/2 white onion, chopped into half moons
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1-2 cups cooked butternut squash chopped into bite size pieces
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Pecorino Ramano – optional

Cook the pasta per package instructions. Remember to set aside 1 cup of the cooking liquid. TIP: I like to throw my chopped broccoli pieces into the pasta in the last two minutes of the cooking so that it blanches it nicely. You don’t have to use an extra pan to steam it this way. Just drain it all together and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and butter on low heat in a heavy, tall pan. [You will add the pasta to this pot later so make sure it is big enough.] Saute the onions until they start to turn a little brown. Add garlic and butternut squash and heat through. You might find everything caramelizes a bit by getting brown. That sweetens the dish a bit.

Once the dish is heated through, add the pasta water. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli into the squash and toss together. Season with salt and pepper. Plate and add shaved Pecorino Ramano if desired.

RECIPE #2: Butternut Squash Sage Soup

Taking the neck of the squash that you already trimmed, carefully cut it in two down the long end. Take each side and trim it in half again down the long end – you are cutting off the round edges so you have two flat steaks – set those steaks aside for Recipe #3. Take the extra rounded parts and dice into bite size pieces.

• Butternut Squash, Bean and Sage Soup
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1-2 cups Butternut squash, cooked and chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 box cannellini beans, drained
• 3 cups stock of choice (I used chicken stock because I wanted a richer taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat coconut oil on medium. Add squash and brown – about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cannellini beans and sage and stir together till heated through. Cover with stock of choice and bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Use an immersion blender to cream the soup.

RECIPE #3: Squash Steaks

This recipe is part of our HeartFULL cookbook we created Winter 2020. Download the book here – it includes 14 recipes to warm you up inside and out this winter.

Squash Steaks