Roasted Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is a wonderful vegetable, and I would love to see everyone use it more.  Many people think of it as a sweet food, but I prefer it to be savory.  My favorite way to prepare it is to roast it.  I then eat it in a pasta dish or in a pot pie type dish

Winter squashes include Butternut Squash, Hubbard Squash, and others with a thick skin.  They are called "winter squash" not because they grow in the winter but because they store well for eating during the winter.  You can use any winter squash for this recipe.  Summer squashes are yellow squash and zucchini, etc.

In Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods, Laura writes of her ma cutting Hubbard squash into chunks with an ax!  I've never had to resort to that with Butternut.  :)

The easiest way I have found to peel butternut is to just use a good vegetable peeler and peel the squash before you cook it.  Then using a good sharp knife, cut off the ends and cut the whole thing in half lengthwise and then into about 1 inch pieces.  Butternut squash is not easy to cut at first.  If you can cut it into chunks that are shorter than your knife, it goes easier.  Oh, do scoop out the seeds and pulp first!

Preheat the oven to around 425.  (You can use a lower temperature if you're cooking something else.  Just cook longer.)

In a bowl toss with a little olive oil and rosemary, salt and pepper, and garlic.  You can use any other savory spices that sound good to you.

Place on a big sheet pan and cook until the edges are brown and the pieces are fork tender.  This will take around 30 - 45 minutes.  You want the edges to be browned.  That brown stuff is caramelization and is what makes roasted vegetables so good.

Using a wide spatula, take up the cooked squash and place in a big bowl.  I love to then add a bit of broth (chicken or vegetable) or water to the pan to get up the brown bits and let it reduce to make it a little saucy.  Pour this reduced liquid into the bowl with the squash.

My favorite way to eat this is over wide noodles or bow tie pasta with blue cheese on top!  A cheddar cheese will work just as well.  If you eat this with pasta, mix the cooked pasta into the bowl and mix together before serving.  

Add some crusty bread and you have a feast!