I just finished some yummy baked butternut squash which I just love but wondered if any of you have any other exciting ideas for it?

Hi...I have made butternut squash soup using pureed pears instead of heavy cream....it tastes very yummy!!

Butternut Squash & a jar of Apple Butter. Bake. Mash together. Eat.

I have a recipe to cut and bake butternut squash into "fries," spreading them on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray, spraying the squash lightly and seasoning with salt and pepper and baking at 450 (I think, I can't find the recipe so I don't remember how long you bake them, but I'm pretty sure I'm right on the temperature).

I keep meaning to buy butternut or other winter squash to try the recipe, but I keep being distracted by the lovely acorn squash and similar varieties (which I prefer to the hard winter squashes).

Mmm, Faerie, that sounds good!

Just yesterday I cooked some butternut squash and pureed it with fat-free chicken broth for some tasty, healthy, low-fat, low-points soup. Very filling, too.

Bake a diced apple, say Granny-Smith, with the diced Butternut Squash.

Mash together.

Super delicious.

I dice it and drizzle olive oil over it and sprinkle chili powder on it. I roast it at 400 degrees until the edges are super crispy and eat them like they're hash browns.

OK now i have a Q.

i love butternut and acorn squash, and squash of all varieties for that matter.
i normally just slice in half and toss in the oven or cook on the stove top simply because i find i so HARD to cut the dang gourds.

i have a big chefs knife that i use, but it's not the sturdiest thing, i bought it cheap probly cuz it was back in my college days. you know, always broke and scraping by.

what sort of knife does everyone use for slicing squash?
also, do you peel the skins off, or cook with the skins on? i have a hard time peeling too.

I use a big knife to cut the squash in half, then microwave to soften up, then peel skins, then roast in oven.

Cut it in 1/2. Sprinkle with lots of cinnamon and some sugar free maple syrup. Bake in a pan with a little water, covered at 400 degrees. After about an hour, put in the cavity chopped apples and a handful of raisins and chopped walnuts. Cover and bake another 15 minutes. YUMM.

Or cube it. Put in a pan with the SF syrup and cinnamon. Cover. Bake at 400 degrees 45 minutes or so, til almost tender. Then add chopped apples, raisins and chopped walnuts. Bake another 20 minutes or so.

Make soup. Brown a large onion and cubed squash in a large pot with cooking spray. Add water to cover and some powdered chicken consome. Cook til tender. Use an immersion blender to puree. Freezes beautifully. Tastes fantastic.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Taco Recipe

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
4 cups butternut squash
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin powder
15 1/2 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced fresh tomato
8 taco shells
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup minced red onion
Directions

1. heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute. Toss in the butternut squash and water and cook over medium-low heat for about 7-10 minutes or until the butternut begins to soften. Mix in the paprika, chili powder and cumin, and cook for 1 minute. Add the black beans and tomato. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is dry.

2. On a serving platter, arrange lettuce, cheddar cheese and red onion. Put sour cream and salsa in bowls. Pass the tacos and let everyone make his or her tacos. Top with hot sauce if desired.

Zinke,
That sounds AWESOME! Thanks for posting it!

If you have a hard time cutting any of the sturdy winter squashes ask your produce department to cut it for you. They have the tools and the strength!

Butternut is a tiny bit softer than some of them, I cut mine, scoop out the little bit of seeds and then slice thinly. I roast them with sliced potatoes, sweet taters, onions. seasoned with olive oil. garlic, italian seasoning......what ever your favorites are

They make this at the Wegman's supermarket where I shop and sell it in the prepared foods. It's yummy. I make it at home, but I use 1/2 the oil and subsitute walnut oil for the wegman's basting oil. (Wegman's basting oil is just oil with herbs - mostly thyme). I also add a little fresh thyme and raspberry vinaigrette when I toss the squash with the spinach and craisins. It's really, really good. Try this recipe and then make it your own. A little orange juice might be nice, or some walnuts.

Butternut squash with baby spinach


(serves 8)

one 3-pound butternut squash or two 20-ounce packages cleaned and cut butternut squash

2 large red onions

3 tablespoons Wegmans basting oil, or 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil with 1/4 teaspoon each dried parsley and thyme

sea salt and pepper to taste

one 6-ounce package baby spinach

3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Halve, peel and seed butternut squash. Dice into 1-inch cubes. Peel and chop red onions.

Combine squash and onions in a large shallow pan and drizzle with basting oil.

Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 55 minutes, until squash is tender and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and toss with spinach and dried cranberries. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Courtesy of Wegmans

Per serving: 157 calories, 2 grams protein, 6 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 29 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 24 milligrams sodium