Twice Baked Butternut Squash

Well the arctic blast has moved in to Colorado and I’ve been freezing my buns off all week. Our heater has been working overtime, the fireplace is on most of the day, and thanks to roasting this Twice Baked Butternut Squash the oven has been heating the house as well!

The temperatures took a major nose dive on Monday. It started with a huge windstorm that eventually turned into snow later in the day. The nights have been getting bitterly cold, Wednesday night it was -6 degrees! I’ve been running on my treadmill the past few morning instead of outside because of all the ice and while I’m so grateful I have a treadmill it is so BORING!

I can handle 5-6 miles on my treadmill as long as I have some cooking shows or movies recorded, but it starts to get ridiculous and mind numbing when I’m running 11-12 miles on it. I won’t complain too much though because it sure beats running in negative degree temperatures and risking falling on my face in the ice.

So, like I was saying above, on top of the heat and fireplace keeping the house warm, I’ve also had the oven on quite a bit. When you’re stuck inside it turns into an ideal time to bake, roast, and test out all the delicious Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts.

Today I’m sharing this great recipe for Twice Baked Butternut Squash. Of course there are always mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes on the Thanksgiving table, but I adore butternut squash and wanted it to have a place on the table as well.

I’m sure most of you have roasted or baked butternut squash before and are well aware of how delicious it tastes this way, but have you have ever baked it twice?

Twice Baked Butternut Squash is the same concept as twice baked potatoes. You roast the squash, scoop out the filling, mash it up and add a bunch of good stuff to it, then put it back in it’s shell and bake it again.

Sure it’s a little more work, but it tastes amazing and the presentation is lovely! Let’s talk about what I mixed into the filling.

To the mashed up squash I added goat cheese, Greek yogurt, sage, salt, and pepper. The tang of the goat cheese and Greek yogurt, mixed with the sweetness of the squash and the classic Thanksgiving flavor of sage, was a perfect combination.

The flavors were both familiar thanks to the sage and unexpected with the addition of the goat cheese. Once the filling was all combined, I put it back into the shell of the butternut squash and topped them with panko breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil for a nice crunchy topping.

If you are looking for a new addition to add to your Thanksgiving table this year, and one that isn’t the traditional side dish, give this Twice Baked Butternut Squash a try!

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Yield: 3 butternut squash halves

Twice Baked Butternut Squash

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Twice Baked Butternut Squash is the perfect fall side dish! Super creamy and full of flavor thanks to goat cheese and sage!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 1 T. fresh sage, chopped
• 2 T. plain non fat Greek yogurt
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 2 T. panko breadcrumbs
• 1 t. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
3. Place the halved butternut squash cut side down on the baking sheet and cover completely with another piece of foil.
4. Bake the squash for 40-50 minutes or until until a fork inserted into the flesh comes out easily.
5. Remove the squash from the oven, lower the temperature to 425 degrees, and let the squash cool slightly.
6. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh out and leave a 1/4 inch border around the squash halves so they will hold their shape.
7. Discard one of the squash skins so that you have a total of 3.
8. In a large bowl mash together the squash flesh, salt, pepper, sage, Greek yogurt, and goat cheese.
9. Once everything is combined, spoon the squash mixture back into the 3 skins.
10. Top the squash with the panko and drizzle with olive oil.
11. Place the squash back in the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the mixture is heated through.

Notes

The size of the butternut squash used will effect the time that it needs to roast. Start checking the squash at 30 minutes and note that it could take up to an hour depending on the squash size and your oven.

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 4gCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 8g