Feeling All Squashy Inside

by duluth, October 7, 2009 | Permalink

I’m excited. It’s a cool early autumn day, the sun is finally shining and there are all kinds of pretty, funky winter squash in the store. They’re on sale, too: $1.69 cents a pound for all varieties.  And these are some of the stoutest squash I’ve ever seen.   One of my fellow team members put a single butternut squash on the scale and he weighed in at a whopping six pounds. Six pounds! That’s heavier than some Chihuahuas.

Squash is one of those transition vegetables that mean business when it comes to a change of season. They’re a great reason to fire up the oven to 400 degrees and roast away. Acorn squash, nutty and fibrous with a deep orange exterior, is perfect for slicing and stuffing with a whole grain. Those big butternuts are good all cubed up and roasted. (Note to whoever buys that six-pounder:  that squash would be perfect for freezing and using for soup later.) The fashionably striped delicata is sweet with a custard-y texture. It’d be delicious in a light buttery sauté with other vegetables. We’ve got the cutest little pie pumpkins, so you can get a head start on making and freezing batches of pumpkin soup.  And for those of you watching your carbs—that’s fine, but you need your fiber, too. You can get it with spaghetti squash. Slice the squash in half and seed it; then place it cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cook in a 350˚ preheated oven for 30 minutes and then let it cool until it is easy to handle. Flip the squash over and run a fork through the meat and make “spaghetti” strands. You can eat it as is, with a little salt and pepper, or add sautéed veggies.

Since I’m dining solo tonight it’s the perfect time to try new squash recipes before I spring them on dinner guests or tailgate pals.  The one below is brand spanking new from our website, and it adds an extra healthy kick of spinach.

Roasted Butternut Squash with wilted Spinach and crumbled Blue Cheese

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
4 cups cubed and roasted butternut squash, warmed

Use a fork to mash together blue cheese and lemon juice in a large bowl to make a thick smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook, tossing often, until slightly wilted and warm, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer contents of skillet to bowl with dressing, add squash, salt and pepper and toss to combine.

To roast Butternut Squash: preheat oven to 400˚. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out and discard seeds. Peel squash with a vegetable peeler, if desired; cut into 1-inch cubes. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and then spread in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until the squash is tender and golden brown, usually about 30 minutes.

One Response to “Feeling All Squashy Inside”

1. kimetha wurster Says:
   October 7th, 2009 at 4:42 pm

   Oh my gosh, I just printed that recipe out and am going to try it tonight too!
   We’ll be cooking it together. Can’t wait to compare notes.

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