5 Healthy Ways To Use Butternut Squash This Fall

Fall is a fantastic culinary season that includes much more than pumpkin spice lattes.  One of my favorite things to cook this time of year is Butternut Squash! It's a winter squash that has a sweet, nutty taste somewhere between pumpkin and sweet potato.  It's a versatile ingredient that lends itself to many dishes in the kitchen.  It's low calorie and packed with a variety of vitamins, minerals, and because of its orange color, it also contains the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene. This combination of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals contribute to reductions in inflammation and reduced risk of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease and cognitive decline. 

Preparation

Although tasty and nutritious, its preparation may be intimidating at first.  But fear not, here are a few tips to starting with this nutty squash.  The hardest part of preparing butternut squash is peeling it.  The skin is harder and thicker than a sweet potato, so your vegetable peeler might have a hard time with it, but it can be done with a peeler.  I use my knife to peel it, first cutting off the top and bottom, then cutting it in half, separating the neck and the base.  I then stand each piece up and peel it like a cantaloupe, finally cutting the base in half and scooping out the seeds with a spoon.  Either way, take your time peeling it.

At this point you can cut it into whatever size pieces you like, but I usually cut it between 1/2-3/4 inch cubes.  Keep in mind that the larger the cut, the longer the cooking time.  I like to toss it with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon & all spice, then roast on a sheet tray in the oven for about 30-45 minutes until tender. I will then serve it in place of rice or potatoes for dinner and save the leftovers to use throughout the week.  Here are five healthy ways to use the leftovers!

*If peeling it sounds like too much work, simple cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil & spices.  Then roast flesh side up for about an hour and scoop out of skin once slightly cooled.

Recipe Ideas  

1. Soup:  Use in place of potatoes for any soup recipe or use it as the featured ingredient like this.. saute diced onion, garlic and ginger until translucent. Add roasted butternut squash, chicken stock and a can of coconut milk and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Puree with immersion blender or in standard blender, season with salt & pepper.  Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, sour cream or a nutty cheese such as aged asiago.
2. Breakfast Scramble:  A great addition to a quick breakfast scramble, again using in place of potatoes.  Adding some spinach, red bell peppers & topping with fresh avocado will give you a fantastic variety and balance of protein, fats, carbs & micronutrients.
3. Salad Topping: Even cold this roasted butternut squash is delicious.  Try adding it to a kale salad with apples, spiced & toasted walnuts, chevre goat cheese & leftover chicken.  I would recommend an easy home-made maple-dijon cider vinaigrette.
4. Curry Stir Fry:  The nutty & spiced flavors of this roasted butternut squash lend themselves to a curry in a beautiful marriage.  Using leftover or frozen vegetables and diced chicken, a can of coconut milk and a jar of yellow curry paste can make this a 20-minute weekday meal.  Saute your vegetables, butternut squash and meat, add 2-4 tablespoons of curry paste and toast that in the pan for a few minutes before adding a can or two of coconut milk.  Bring to a boil, lets simmer a few minutes and season with salt & pepper as needed.  Serve with rice & garnish with fresh cilantro if desired
5. Mashed or Roasted With Pork or Chicken:  As I mentioned in my preparation notes, serving it as an entree side in place of any complex carbohydrate is a great way to use butternut squash.  If you want to mash it, I recommend boiling it rather than roasting it.  Then mashing it just like potatoes and adding some butter, salt and pepper.  If desired you can also add the fall spices I mentioned above.

Other great ideas are stuffed butternut squash, using it in a power bowl or as fritters.  I hope you give it a try no matter how you like it cooked and let me know in the comments if you do.  Feel free to comment with any other ways you like to use butternut squash!

Happy Eating!