BUTTERNUT SQUASH

HypersonicFitNess

Butternut soup

This makes enough soup for 4-5 servings, it will keep for a few days. It is warm

3 cups water
2 cloves garlic
1 medium sweet onion chopped (about 1 cup rough chopped)
2 teaspoons sea-salt
4 cups cubed butternut squash (I have seen this already cut up in the grocery
store)
1 Medium bell pepper (yellow, orange or red)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave

In a soup pot, bring water just to simmer with garlic, onion, pepper and sea salt. Turn the heat to low. Add cubed squash. Allow to remain on low flame just until a fork can pierce the squash, about 10-20 minutes. Cover pot and turn off heat. Let soup sit
for a few minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor. Add olive oil and sweetener and blend until smooth.

If you happen to own an immersion (stick) blender, now would be a good time to use it, just leave everything in the pot. DON'T PULL THE BLENDER ABOVE THE SURFACE WHILE USING UNLESS YOU WANT TO WASH YOUR CEILING.

You can add anything on top; I like to add sprouts for a nice crunch!

Mcmilligen

I love butternut squash!! I use it to make vegan scrambled eggs (which just taste good, in my opinion). I usually make it with Mexican style spices.

1.) Peel and cut up the squash in to cubes. Roast with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper on a pan for 30 mins or until soft in the oven. (Preheated to 375)
2.) Once roasted, mix in with some silken tofu (or smooth tofu) and season with pepper, coriander and cumin. Set aside.
3.) Fry up whatever vegetables you want. I used a TON of onion, some zucchini and whatever beans I had on hand.
4.) Add the squash and tofu, mix up until everything is warm.

5.) Serve with salsa, sour cream and avocado sliced on top. Break apart some tortilla chips on top if you want as well! (I actually put some garlic hummus on top as well and it was awesome).

Enjoy!!

gina1971

Bump. I have to try some of these.

MoniMoni2u

I make a Chai Butternut Squash

Peel, cut and cube. Put into saucepan and add a little water. Add a little butter and sprinkle the following ground spices: Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom and salt. Steam/cook until tender. You can add some brown sugar (it doesn't take much) or not. Very good!

MoniMoni2u

Since squash are so difficult to peel and slice I prick with a fork or knife and microwave for a minute or 2. Allow to stand and try to cool. Then peel. Lots easier on my hands which have some dexterity problems!

auntiemsgr8

bump - love butternut squash and everyting pumpkin. There was an awesome post with pumpkin ideas if anyone missed it yesterday, I think it was simply titled PUMPKIN.

Im4gin3th4t

I make vegan butternut squash ravioli! Just roast a squash, cube it and purée in blender. Add vegan butter some dried sage and salt and pepper (and whatever else you like) then scoop a tablespoon into a wonton wrapper wet the edges of the wrapper and seal it closed

I typically make a huge batch and freeze for later, I don't cook them until before I want to eat.

To cook them just put some olive oil in sauté pan with maybe some onion and garlic, put the ravioli in and after a few minutes put about half a cup of water in the pan and cover. Cook till almost all water has steamed off and raviolis are steam cooked remove cover and cook till the ravioli bottoms are crispy add in some pesto and tomatoes and anything else you like

It's super simple, clean and delicious!

Also just a hint. It's way easier to cook butternut squash in the microwave. Peel and cube, place in microwave safe bowl with half a cup water and cover with plastic wrap (poke wrap with fork to let some steam escape) microwave twelve minutes. Voila!

supersmiles11

wee trick to peeling one if you don't already know is cook whole one in microwave for 2 mins. it softens the skin and then makes it easier to peel :-)

bosoxjenn

I make bns chips ( fries )
Just cut them into sizes you like for your chips, then lightly coat them or spray in oil, and sprinkle paprika, and cook them in the oven

That sounds really good!!!

sherisse69

Make fries with it! Yum, yum yum! Do the same as you would with a potato or sweet potato/yam. Season it up, little oil, about 400 on the oven, for about 40 minutes, really depends on how thick you cut. I do recommend doing this on parchment, as I have found they stick and if they do, they fall apart to mush. So good.

This is key point - it may stick if you cook it on too low a temp also if you turn it too much - let it caramelize a bit prior to turning..
Also, MAKE SURE it is totally dry before roasting... any water will make it sloppy and sticky....

You are soooo right - I was so excited thinking about them, I forgot some of those key details ! Thanks for catching that! TEAM WORK!!! YEAH!

Absolutely ... I once made the mistake of using frozen uncooked pre-cut chunks (never again)... it turned out so mushy and sloppy due to all of the water from it being frozen - .. .still tasted good but did not caramelize and it just wasn't what I usually get for a result :):)

Sounds like my first try - it turned into a mushy pile with some sticky goo spots in the middle. I had done them straight on a baking pan, not greased, and ....well....like you said, tasted good, but definitely NOT what I was going for.

sherisse69

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
2.5 lb butternut squash, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 tbsps olive oil
1/3 cup shallots or onions, small dice (I used shallots)
1 cup water, more as needed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated and packed
1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/8 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
salt to taste
2 tbsps unsalted butter
12 medium sage leaves, fresh
extra grated Parmesan for topping
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a roasting pan, toss the butternut squash cubes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper together until the squash is evenly coated. Roast the squash for 45 minutes, giving them a stir with a spatula every 15 minutes until the squash is fork-tender. Remove from oven and place the butternut squash in a blender or food processor. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan and sauté the shallots or onions until they start to brown. This takes a few minutes. Place the onions in the blender or food processor along with a cup of water. Add more water as needed – mine was super thick so I ended up using 2 cups of water. Purée the squash until smooth. Empty the contents into a medium saucepan and set on low heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), nutmeg, and salt to taste. You don’t want it to boil (and you don’t want the cheese to melt into a giant clump), just heat the sauce. Meanwhile, melt the unsalted butter in a small pan on high heat. When hot, place the fresh sage leaves in a single layer in the butter and fry. Turn them over after 30 seconds and continue to fry until crisp. Remove from pan. Serve the butternut squash sauce over any pasta (I like it with fettuccine – we had a pound of pasta) and sprinkle Parmesan, salt, and black pepper on top. Serves 4.

This sounds AWESOME!!!!

fierceangel1982

Serve over rice/noodles/"cauliflower rice" etc.

What's cauliflower rice? Intrigued...

Cauliflower rice is made by either running cauliflower through a food processor or grating it. I haven't had a chance to use it in place of rice yet, but I make cauliflower crust pizza with it.

Amazing! Presume you cook it first? And discard the green leaves?

Definitely discard the green leaves. The recipes I've seen for the rice involving microwaving the cauliflower after you either process or grate it.
I mix the uncooked cauliflower bits with egg and cheese and then bake to make the pizza crust.

stacnm

Great thread!

AmyJMadison

bump

zoeluiisa

Since squash are so difficult to peel and slice I prick with a fork or knife and microwave for a minute or 2. Allow to stand and try to cool. Then peel. Lots easier on my hands which have some dexterity problems!

I never have any problems peeling them with my potato peeler, but chopping them can be a b*stard sometimes! Don't suppose the microwaving helps with that does it? (Maybe I just need to work on my muscles :laugh:)

supersmiles11

Yeah it often softens it just enough to make it easier... suppose depends on the squash too :-)

KeriD

mmmmmm love butternut squash!

michelleindeed

I made a butternut squash/leek soup once. I should find myself the recipe!

zoeluiisa

Yeah it often softens it just enough to make it easier... suppose depends on the squash too :-)

Thanks. Also just bought a load of different squashes today, and some of them have really hard skins that my potato peeler is not going to be up to. Definitely going to give your technique a try on them!

1258936

Since squash are so difficult to peel and slice I prick with a fork or knife and microwave for a minute or 2. Allow to stand and try to cool. Then peel. Lots easier on my hands which have some dexterity problems!

Why stop at 2 mins? I poke my a few times, put it in my medium size pyrex bowl, cover with plastic and let it go for 3 to 4 mins, depending on it's size. Then, I let it cool in the microwave for a while, remove and slice in half. It will cut easily. Put back in the bowel, cover again with plastic wrap, back in the microwave for another 3 to 4 mins. Let it cool and it's so soft you can easily scoop it right out of the skin. I Buttnernut squash

ps this method works for every kind of squash out there. And other hard veggies, too, like rutabaga's. I even use it for my sweet potatoes. I cube them first, then into the bowl, cover in plastic wrap, and zap em for about 3 mins.