Butternut squash is everywhere in Autumn. Farmers Markets have it in a million different sizes, and market baskets are overflowing. It's a great keeper, and a perfect addition to your autumn table, packed with nutrition and easily digested. It makes a beautiful soup, if that's your thing, or can be eaten right out of the shell after roasting. Mashed, it's practically perfect as one of the first table foods to serve to babies and toddlers.
My favorite way to cook it is in the slow cooker -- set it whole in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours, remove and cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Dress with a little butter and a dash of salt. As the weather turns chilly, you can set this up in the morning and it's ready to be a star with dinner when you walk in the door. Athletes and after-school club kids have been known to eat a whole one while waiting for the meal to be served, and you can't really go wrong with this as a snack, since it packs so many minerals and nutrients.
If you want to cube the squash before roasting, it makes a lovely addition to a kale-based salad. Add some pomegranate arils for an extra boost to nutrition and autumnal goodness. This recipe calls for pecans, which are also just everywhere in the Southeast in autumn, but you could use any nut, really: walnut or pine nut or almond. Skip the nuts if they aren't your thing, or switch to a seed if you have a nut allergy. Pumpkin seeds carry the autumn theme, or sunflower seeds are always a nice choice; both roast well with the Kale salad with squash and pecans recipe below.
Ingredients
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch square pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil or pecan oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 heads kale
3 pieces thick-cut bacon, optional
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup pomegranate arils
Orange Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons olive oil or pecan oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Maple Toasted Pecans:
1/3 cup raw pecans
2 tsp olive oil or pecan oil
2 tsp pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch sea salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl, combine chopped butternut squash, olive oil and sea salt. Stir until combined. Spread mixture on a large baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, stir, then roast another 5 to 10 minutes, until golden-brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
While the squash is roasting, add the bacon to a small skillet over medium high heat and cook until it reaches desired level of crisp (about 2 to 3 minutes per side). Place on a cutting board and allow to cool, then chop into pieces.
Add all of the ingredients for the orange vinaigrette to a small blender. Blend until completely combined (note: you can also whisk the ingredients together in a bowl if you don’t have a small blender).
In a small skillet, add all the ingredients for the maple-toasted pecans. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until toasted and sticky, stirring often. Be sure to monitor the nuts closely, as they burn easily.
Wash, dry, and chop the kale leaves and place them in a large serving bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and use your hands to massage the juice into the kale leaves for 1 to 2 minutes, until you can feel the kale leaves are more tender.
Add the pomegranate arils, roasted butternut squash, chopped bacon, and maple-toasted pecans. Drizzle in desired amount of orange vinaigrette and toss everything together to combine. Serve alongside your favorite entrée.
Nutritional Information
One cup (205 grams) of cooked butternut squash provides a good source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, and copper as well as:
Calories: 82
Carbs: 22 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Fiber: 7 grams
Vitamin A: 457% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
Vitamin C: 52% of the RDI
Vitamin E: 13% of the RDI
Thiamine (B1): 10% of the RDI
Niacin (B3): 10% of the RDI
Pyridoxine (B6): 13% of the RDI
Folate (B9): 10% of the RDI
Magnesium: 15% of the RDI
Potassium: 17% of the RDI
Manganese: 18% of the RDI
