Tag Archives: what to do with butternut squash

Casseroles, Comfort food, Healthy, Less than 5, Main Dishes, Sneaky Healthy, Vegetarian

Creamy Butternut Squash Risotto: Stovetop or Instant Pot

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Man, this fall I am hitting some serious home runs with new recipes!

The other rave review so far was my crispy spinach gnocchi with sage brown butter. You’ll notice this recipe also uses sage brown butter. Coincidentally, my sage bush is quite prolific this time of year, but is about ready to be fully harvested and cut back for winter. It is also squash season, so the butternut was from a local farm, fresh picked just days before I cooked it.

This tells me a few things.

  • Keep trying new recipes
  • If you or someone you love doesn’t like a particular ingredient, try it in a new way, or try it again a year later
  • Eating seasonally and locally makes it far easier to cook delicious meals with simple ingredients!

The inspiration came from this recipe on Serious Eats, but of course I tweaked it to what I had on hand.

This can easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock rather than chicken, and can be vegan as well by omitting the cottage cheese and sprinkling with nutritional yeast rather than Parmesan. If you do eat cheese, I highly recommend the best, large curd cottage cheese you can find. It makes a great difference in flavor and texture.

You can also make this insanely cheap by using water rather than the stock. But you will lose a lot of flavor by doing so.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Sage

Ingredients:

  • 1 small or 1/2 large butternut squash (about 2 cups cubed)
  • 1 cup medium or short grain rice
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or water)
  • Black pepper, sea salt
  • Handful of sage leaves
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • Optional: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, sprinkle of Parmesan

I already had cooked the squash earlier in the week, but if you haven’t, do that first. I’ll wait.

There are 2 ways to do this: on the stove, or in an instant pot. I used the instant pot, because I have one now and it’s magical!

BUT

This is just as easy on the stove, it just takes a little longer.

Below are the steps for the instant pot, and then I’ll do stove top too.

Step 1: Add the rice and stock to the instant pot, close pressure valve, and cook for 8 minutes. Quick release the steam.

Step 2: Add the butternut squash, and cottage cheese if using. Close, and cook another 8 minutes. Quick release. Mash up the squash a little with a spoon, stir well to combine.

Step 3: While the second cooking session is going, melt the butter on the stove. Toss in the sage leaves, and let it sizzle until they look brown and crunchy. Watch carefully, you don’t want it to burn, it honestly only takes a minute or two.

Step 4: Serve the risotto topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan, some sage, and a grind or two of black pepper and sea salt.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Crispy Sage

As for the stove top:

Step 1: Put the rice and 1 cup water/stock in a pot, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer 10-15 minutes, until water is absorbed.

Step 2: Add more water 1/2 cup at a time, simmering for a few minutes in between. Stir every few minutes or so, until all liquid is absorbed. Should take about 30-40 minutes total.

Step 3: Add the butternut squash, and smash it up a little with a spoon. Stir to thoroughly combine.

Step 4: Same as above if you want to serve with crispy sage!

Comfort food, Healthy, Less than 5, Main Dishes, Pasta, Sneaky Healthy, Vegetarian

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

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During my whole January Freezer Month challenge (read how that went during weeks one, two, three, and four) I had used half of a decorative butternut squash to make butternut squash macaroni & cheese.  This is one of my favorite fall & winter time meals, because it has all the creamy comfort of mac n cheese with an added boost of vitamins and fiber.  It totally counts as a serving of vegetables!

But what I had discovered was that even a deceptively small-looking squash can create a ton of pulp!

Mashed Butternut Squash

This giant bowl of squash was half!  Yes indeed.  So, being the frugal epicurean chef I am, I decided this was not to go to waste.  After searching the interwebs for inspiration, I had seen several options that were contenders, but in the end the winner was butternut squash gnocchi.  It’s the sauce that sealed the deal, which I will tell you about in just a second.

For those who don’t know what gnocchi is or have never had them, go find your nearest authentic Italian restaurant and re-evaluate your life choices.  Just kidding.  Make this recipe instead!

Gnocchi are typically thick, soft dumplings that may be made from semolina, wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, or similar ingredients.  You basically make a thick pasta dough, and create chewy pillows from it.  The most classic gnocchi shape is the oval with ridges, created in our grandmother’s day using fork tines.  (Did you know the things that make a fork a fork are called tines?  Now you know.)

Pressing Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Growing up in Youngstown Ohio, a city with some serious mafia ties (seriously, go read about it), we have some crazy good Italian restaurants.  Thus I am well-versed in gnocchi.  I’ve even taken a foray into gnocchi making previously, with acorn squash and potatoes.  So I was fairly confident that this project would turn out well.  And boy did it ever!

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Balsamic Brown Butter and Collard Greens Sauce

The process does take a little bit of time, I think it was just over an hour start-to-finish, and I had already-cooked squash to work with.  So be sure you have about 2 hours prior to tackling this.  But trust me, it is well worth it!  My fiancee, who is allergic to vegetables, told me this was delicious and amazing and asked for seconds.  He didn’t even believe me when I said there was squash in it.

The sauce is much easier, I just whipped it all up in my amazing Ninja blender (a Christmas gift from said fiancee) and simmered it on the stove to brown the butter.  But I am convinced that the two flavors and textures are the magic that elevates this from “weeknight pasta” to “so good this could be Valentine’s Day dinner at a 5-star restaurant”.  But at home.

But hey, I’m not gonna tell you what to top your gnocchi with.  If you like marinara, go for it.  If Alfredo is your thing, rock on.  Shoot, if you want to eat your gnocchi naked, that’s fine with me.  Just make sure the blinds are closed. 😉

Butternut Squash Gnocchi Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups cooked, mashed butternut squash
  • 4 1/2 cups flour plus extra
  • 2 tbsp Italian seasonings
  • 2 tsp nutmeg
  • Sprinkle of ground pepper and salt

Step 1: If you haven’t cooked your squash, do that first.  Go ahead I’ll wait.  Bake it, microwave it, steam it, whatever.  Then mash it up.

Cutting Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Step 2: Mix your cooked, mashed squash in a large bowl with the other ingredients.  Add seasoning to taste, so if you want it heavy on the spices, do it, or go nuts and add cinnamon.  Get your hands all up in that squishy dough mess and mix it up nice.  Add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time as needed, until the dough just barely still sticks to your hand.

Boiling Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Step 3: Separate out about 3 cups of dough, and turn out onto a floured surface.  Pinch off a good handful, and roll it into a log.  Cut the log into 1/2 – 1 inch squares.  Each individual piece will be one noodle/dumpling/gnocchi.  If you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and roll each gnocchi over the tines of a fork to create ridges.  (I recommend this step mostly because the ridges create a nice place for the sauce to stick to!)

IMG_3106

Step 4: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  (Here’s a secret tip: I actually used chicken broth to boil the noodles, for extra flavor and because I like bone broth).  Boil the gnocchi for about 10 minutes, until they float to the top.  Remove with a slotted spoon.

Cooked Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Step 5: Top your gnocchi with sauce or topping of choice, and then watch whoever is eating this oooh and ahhh.  Including yourself.  Go ahead and pat yourself on the back too, that’s step 6.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sauce

And if you are just dying for the sauce recipe I used, don’t worry I won’t tease you and leave you waiting.  Oh wait.  Yup, you have to wait until Thursday’s post.  It will be worth it I promise.

Freezing Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Oh, and did I mention this makes a crap ton?  This recipe made me about 7 dozen gnocchi total, so I ended up freezing about half.  Just lay them out in one layer in the fridge for 1 hour to overnight, then pop in a freezer bag or container and they will keep for about 6 months.  So one day’s hard work equals one amazing meal now, and another amazing meal sometime later.  Jackpot.