While the rest of the world is losing itself over Pumpkin Spice Everything, I’m just happy to be in the season when people open their hearts and mouths to actual, real-life edible gourds. If you’re a regular consumer of organic squash, you’re probably already aware of the amazing shapes, colors, textures, and flavors found in the squash family. I’m a huge fan of everyday zucchini “pasta”, butternut squash soup, and more exotic sides like roasted acorn squash with walnuts and herb honey–I love them all. But nothing beats our favorite accident, the buttery butternut squash recipe that first appeared in my newsletter a few years back.
The Buttery Butternut recipe was born when I was working on a November newsletter for my business, Untamed Alchemy. I wanted a new recipe that celebrated sage, my herb of the month.
Eager to avoid anything associated with Thanksgiving (Do you really need another stuffing recipe? NO. You’re welcome…), I scrambled to think of something that would be unusual and tasty. We needed it to be amazing. (I am deeply invested in sage, after all.) So we made this as an experiment and immediately adopted it as our new favorite fall meal. We eat it at least twice a month even out of season and almost always share it when family visits from near and far.
As one friend says, it’s inspired comfort food. Unfortunately, it has too many delicious ingredients to be easily described or named:
After all, Roasted Butternut Squash with Browned Butter, Crisped Sage, and Parmesan doesn’t really roll off the tongue.
So we just call it the Buttery Butternut recipe.
The recipe can be made as a vegetarian meal (omit the chicken) or even as vegan side dish (eliminate the chicken and the cheese, sub olive oil for the butter). The butternut squash and sage are perfectly fantastic all by their lonelies.
Buttery Butternut with Sage
Browned butter, crisp sage, and tender roasted butternut squash make for a delicious, inspired autumn meal.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 T organic olive oil
- 4 T organic pasture butter
- 30 fresh sage leaves, minced
- 1 cup Parmigianno-Reggiano, freshly grated
- 2 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts (if desired)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2 Toss the butternut squash lightly in the olive oil. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30, until tender, turning once during roasting.
- Step 3 If making the meaty variety, grill or sautée the chicken while the squash cooks. Allow to rest before cutting into cubes.
- Step 4 Melt butter in a large frying pan and allow it just to brown
- Step 5 add minced sage and sautée briefly until the sage is shriveled and crisp.
- Step 6 Transfer the finished squash to a large bowl. Pour the browned butter and sage over the squash. Add cubed chicken if using. Stirring constantly, mix in 3/4 cup of the cheese until just blended.
- Step 7 Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.
- Step 8 Serve with a fresh spinach salad with lemon and olive oil dressing or mixed baby kale, arugula, and mustard greens with fire cider dressing.
Wishing you a delicious, seasonal life.
you make fire cider dressing!? I make fire cider myself – how do you make the dressing? Many thanks.
Hi Samantha! I’m actually sharing some of my fire cider recipes in other posts. You’ll find the first set of recipes (including my Montmartre fire cider salad dressing!) in the post here: http://wp.me/p2VI5F-M0