Chef Tom’s Organic
Butternut Squash Bake
One of the fist signs of fall at the farmers’ market are the winter squashes that have grown through the summer and ripened up just in time for your warming autumn meals and favorite holiday desserts.
These sweet jewels offer an endless contribution to just about any part of a meal from stuffed wild rice pilaf in acorn squash as the main meal event to a simple baked butternut side dish.
This recipe is very simple, yet simply delicious! Serve as a side dish or scoop out cooked squash to use for your favorite “pumpkin” pie, muffin or soup recipes.
(Butternut squash are sweeter than pumpkin which helps reduce added sweetener to dessert recipes!)
1 Butternut squash
safflower oil or vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub squash and cut in half lengthwise on cutting board. (Be extra careful cutting squash. I try to remove the stem with my hand or if I can’t ~ I cut off the stem through the squash top avoiding cutting through the stem completely so as the stems are hard enough to chip your knife.)
Scoop out squash seeds and pour a few drops of oil into the hollow space and spread the oil over the entire cut surface with fingers.
Place oiled squash into baking pan with cut side down.
Set in heated oven and bake for one hour or until squash is soft. Check it by poking a fork through the squash checking for softness. You want it to be completely soft.
Chef Tom is the owner of Natural Lifestyle Online Market located in Asheville, NC.
Simple Baked Organic Butternut
Baking Tip:
I like to bake squash in my Grandmother’s old cast iron skillet. This creates tasty caramelized edges and super sweet squash perfect for pie or muffins.
