Recipe :: Roasted Butternut Squash

This past week I had to confess to my husband: I’m having a love affair…with butternut squash. I fell in love with the slightly sweet and earthy flavor several years ago when the soup became a popular item on trendy, fusion menus. More recently, if offered, the roasted version has been a sure pick for me when selecting a side for an entree. And so, the time had come for me to try this at home, which I did this week with much success!

One of the more recent times I had roasted butternut squash out it had been paired with rosemary, a favorite herb, so when I scanned the internet looking for a recipe, that was a key ingredient I looked for. I didn’t find a recipe to use exactly, but I found some common themes that I could merge into something that worked for me.

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
1.5 T olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 t. crushed dried rosemary
salt & pepper to taste

To prepare the butternut squash, cut the two ends off and cut the squash down the middle. Scoop out the seeds; I used a knife and cut the seed pod out. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. (The peel comes off much easier than you might think.) Slice the squash, and then cut into about 1 inch cubes. (My large squash produced 6 cups of cubes.)

Whisk oil, vinegar and rosemary in a separate bowl before adding to squash and coating all pieces well.

Pour one layer thick on a foil lined roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes at 400. Using a spatula, turn cubed squash over and roast for another 20 minutes. Serves 6.

Aside from the wonderful taste, butternut squash is very healthy. According to NutritianData, this recipe (1/6) has 103 calories, 3.6 fat grams, 3 grams of fiber, and 1.5 of protein. It also has all of your daily vitamin A and half of your vitamin C.

Try it and let me know how your family loves it!