Roasted Butternut Squash: 2 ways

I love me some squash!! Ever since I was a little girl I would to go the garden with Dada and pick the fresh vegetables. Squash was always one of my top 10 vegetables I had enjoyed picking. To a little girl it was unfathomable how you get a yellow crooked neck squash from a pretty, fuzzy yellow flower. I later learned that pretty, fuzzy yellow flower was the beginning of the squash’s life and that it was not known by a different name, it was a squash blossom.

Recently I have developed an interest in butternut squash. For those who do not know, butternut squash are considered to be a winter squash due to the time of the year when they are ready for harvest. They have a yellow skin and an orange fleshy pulp that turns deep orange and becomes sweeter and richer when ripe. A butternut squash has a sweet, nutty taste like a pumpkin, which if you love pumpkin, you are sure to love yourself a butternut squash!

 The first time I ever cooked one I had no idea what I was doing. I took the squash, cut it in half, scooped out the pulp, and then seasoned w/ salt and pepper, garlic, and butter. My goal was to roast the squash halves, which I did, but when it came to eating the roasted squash I ended with as a big pile of orange looking mashed potatoes. My dear sweet boyfriend was my guinea pig and ate it like a champ! We decided next time it might be better cubed and then roasted. So that’s exactly what I decided to do this time.

 Big shout out to my dad, thanks to him, he has been supplying me with a plethora of butternut squash I had plenty for experimentation.

 So here are the creations thus far: 

 Savory Roasted Butternut Squash:

 2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium butternut squash

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp thyme, fresh

1 teaspoon salt & pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 In bowl, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside

 If desired, use a vegetable peeler to remove skin. Then half the butternut squash, scoop out the pulp, and cut into cubes 1-inch large.

 After you have cut squash into cubes, dump into bowl with olive oil mixture and toss. Make you give a good coating.

 Pour out coated mixture onto a cookie sheet cover in aluminum foil (very easy clean up).

 Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Balsamic Honey Glazed Butternut Squash

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter, melted

Dash of light brown sugar


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
In bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt. Set aside

If desired, use a vegetable peeler to remove skin. Then half the butternut squash, scoop out the pulp, and cut into cubes 1-inch large.

After you have cut squash into cubes, dump into bowl with olive and vinegar mix and toss. Make you give a good coating.

Pour out coated mixture onto a cookie sheet cover in aluminum foil (very easy clean up). Drizzle melted butter over pieces once they are on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Once done, let squash pieces cool for 2-3 minutes, put into a bowl to dress before serving. Sprinkle the dash of light brown sugar and add a little splash of balsamic vinegar and toss.

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