It's the Great Butternut Squash
Matt Armendariz, Copyright 2015
When it comes to matters of the squash — pumpkin, acorn, spaghetti, water-logged summer swill — none is as versatile, as delicious as the humble, easy-to-obtain butternut.
You'll be able to find it in most grocery stores these days; just need to know what it looks like. And in case you don't know what it looks like, it looks like this.
Elena Schweitzer
Whether you’re whipping up dinner on a weeknight, entertaining over the weekend, or meal prepping over a long, leisurely Sunday, butternut squash is a simple way to add indubitable comfort to your cooking in one fell swoop.
The butternut is autumn’s ultimate natural sweetener; in an instant it can round out salty stews, add a third note to savory pastas, puree beautifully into soups and dips (due to its characteristic non-stringiness).
It makes sense, then, to take advantage of its bounty in these cooler autumn months.
It helps, also, to keep this Roasted Butternut Squash recipe on hand. (Though it’s hardly a recipe; it’s more a bricks-and-mortar technique, one applicable to most fall produce, especially root vegetables like carrots, parsnips and beets.)
Trust me. Start with that perfect Ina technique and you’ll be set for life.
But — should you need more corroboration that butternut squash tastes amazing in any form, as any course, in a box, with a fox — here are my favorite ways to eat it.
Tara Donne, Tara Donne
I've always found butternut squash less stringy than most other varieties, and it has just the right amount of starch to puree perfectly into soup. Like, Goldilocks would kill this bowl.
Tara Donne
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette
Ina's butternut squash salad is a lesson in balance: When you've got something as gorgeously honeyed as roasted butternut squash, it makes sense to offset that sweetness with acid.
Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese
Giada tosses freshly cooked penne with roasted butternut squash and goat cheese, letting the starches from the pasta water amalgamate with the cheese into a luscious sauce.
Armando Rafael Moutela, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.
Oven-Baked Salmon with Roasted Squash
This is my go-to weeknight dinner: The salmon's out of the oven in just 15 minutes. But what really makes the meal special, and warm, is a side of roasted butternut squash to round out the fall sentiment of it all.
Alice Gao, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.
Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
Sweet butternut squash replaces potatoes in this autumnal take on beef stew. And let's be honest — we all need a pot of this on the stovetop during the holidays.
