Butternut squash is the king of all the squashes. It’s a bold declaration, I know. But nothing is quite as sweet and easy to use as the butternut squash. It’s full of healthy nutrients and it’s fairly cheap here on the east coast. Once fall hits, you can find butternut squash pretty much at every grocery store or farmers market. Recently, I’ve noticed that more and more restaurants are featuring butternut squash cream sauce dishes and I figured why not join in on all the fun?
My story begins by finding some frozen butternut squash in my freezer and not knowing what to do with it. I noticed that I had some extra cream lying around in the fridge so I decided to make a tasty sauce for some orzo. This whole thing came together in less than a hour and it was so damn good. I decided to use orzo instead of regular pasta because I felt like it would a better vessel to soak up all that yummy cream sauce than your standard noodle. I was right.
If you’re intimidated by cooking butternut squash here are two simple methods to preparing it, because the skin can be so tough:
1- With a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise, rub it with olive oil and then bake it in the oven face down for 45 minutes to an hour. Then scoop out the meat and you can use it in this dish.
2- Peel the skin with a peeler, then dice the squash into cubes, if you prefer roasted butternut squash.
Because the butternut squash is so riveting, I’ve found some butternut squash facts to get you through the day:
1 – Butternut squash is a healthy source of vitamin C, E, and beta carotene.
2- Native Americans valued the fruit (yes it’s actually a fruit) so much that they often buried it with their dead to make sure they had a healthy food source for their journey through the afterlife.
3- It is full of anti-oxidants making it a great tool in staying healthy.
Recipe – Butternut Squash Cream Sauce with Orzo
Ingredients
1 Cup of Pureed Butternut Squash
1 Tsp. Crushed Garlic
1 cup of Diced Onions
2 Tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
4 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
1 1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth
1 Tsp. Black Pepper
1 Tsp. Thyme
2 Tablespoons of Butter
2 Sage leaves
1 Cup of Orzo
Step 1 – Melt butter, then add onions, garlic, black pepper, thyme and sage at medium high heat.
Step 2 – Then add your butternut squash. Saute for 5 minutes.
Step 3- Add your chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 4- Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the soup.
Step 5- Return the puree back to the pot, add your cream to the mixture and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. Then add your cheese.
Step 6 – As your cream sauce simmers, cook your orzo (just like pasta 6 to 7 minutes in boiling water).
Step 7 – Once the orzo is cooked, transfer it to the cream sauce, stir for a few minutes and then serve immediately.
- 1 Cup of Pureed Butternut Squash
- 1 Tsp. Crushed Garlic
- 1 cup of Diced Onions
- 2 Tsp. Salt
- 2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
- 4 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
- 1 1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth
- 1 Tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp. Thyme
- 2 Tablespoons of Butter
- 2 Sage leaves
- 1 Cup of Orzo
- Step 1 – Melt butter, then add onions, garlic, black pepper, thyme and sage at medium high heat.
- Step 2 – Then add your butternut squash. Saute for 5 minutes.
- Step 3- Add your chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Step 4- Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the soup.
- Step 5- Return the puree back to the pot, add your cream to the mixture and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. Then add your cheese
- Step 6 – As your cream sauce simmers, cook your orzo (just like pasta 6 to 7 minutes in boiling water).
- Step 7 – Once the orzo is cooked, transfer it to the cream sauce, stir for a few minutes and then serve immediately.
