Butternut Squash Boats
I know we are just starting to get into the throes of “soup szn” but is everybody OK out there? I’ve heard some rumblings & grumblings that *some* people are “tired” of soup or that they “just aren’t soup people” and I, for one, am shocked. I am appalled. I am disappointed. Perhaps its just my husband stating, “ugh honey you know I don’t like soup for dinner” – aint nobody even asked him.
Welllllll lucky for you this isn’t a soup recipe, but it damn sure is a fall recipe. HAH. Thought you’d get off easy? That I’d be done with fall-inspired foods & recipes by now? NEVAR. Just because I’m shamelessly singing Christmas music already doesn’t mean I’m done eating fall-themed foods. & you can bet your ass that this one here, is one of my all-time favorites!
The only root veggie that comes with a Warning….
You’ll find out later…..
Butternut Squash tends to seem boring to people – like its cousin, the poor sweet potato. Which is a shame because they are both SO healthy, can be dressed up in SO many ways & people don’t realize that just because their “base” is boring, doesn’t mean the food has to be boring! AND – ya heard it here – Butternut Squash & Sweet Potatoes can be swapped out in a pinch in recipes – their textures & nutritional facts may be different, but the color & overall taste is very similar!
Like Ground Turkey, (which you would already know if you read my last entry, thank youuuu) Butternut Squash also needs lots of flavor & “oomph” to get it where it needs to be, and that’s totally fine because that’s what we are gathered here today to do.
Soft, roasted Butternut Squash, savory breakfast sausage, caramelized onion & sweet apples, and earthy sage all come together beautifully to make one hell of a sheetpan dinner.
The Butternut Squash can be roasted ahead of time & cubed for the final step of this dish before tossing everything together, gently laying it all back in the boat & finishing it off in the oven. I particularly enjoy this meal because it can be made in stages & the cleanup can also be done in stages – because when the final act comes, its nothing but throwing away tin-foil & wiping out a sheetpan – it’s that easy!
Switch the Squash
I originally found a recipe very similar to this one but it used acorn squash instead of butternut and apricots & golden raisins instead of fresh apples – enough with the dried fruit, already. Shit, what are we? Senior Citizens?
ANYWAY.
I did my due diligence. I made the original recipe as it was written and that shit was terrible. The acorn squash wasn’t nearly “sweet” enough and the dried fruit became hard in mixture of it all. The recipe also called for a mixture of maple syrup & water to “reconstitute” the dried fruit with the whole mixture & yes, it’s as gross as it sounds. Basically, the whole damn thing was a mess & Chris kindly asked me to never make that shit again.
SHEESH.
But of course, as you all know (& love!) by now, I was like “I can fix it!” – the recipe, not Chris *wink* -- and so I did just that! It was beautiful. I had never worked with a whole butternut squash before – I had always just bought the ready-diced chunks at the grocery story or the frozen spirals. But I was excited to get my hands on a whole butternut squash & just roast the shit out of it and go to town!
you’re welcome.
When I was re-writing this recipe from the God-awful experience of yore, I tried my best to be creative. The fruit aspect wasn’t difficult at all – apples are a MAJOR fall staple as we all know, so that part was easy. I have also used a pear when in a pinch – apple stands up better to the cooking, but the pear tasted lovely. The addition of chopping up a sweet onion was kind of a no-brainer – sweet onions are the base for all things good. Adding sage & making sure I used a “maple” flavored breakfast sausage was another must – they paired so nicely together & then I could definitely be rid of the “maple syrup-water mixture” from the first recipe -- *shudder* My secret ingredient of a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar really makes this recipe fly. The acid really pulls things together & gives it a welcome twang next to the rich sweetness of the brown sugar & breakfast sausage. The flavors are “fall” without being one-dimensional.
Ingredients
(serves 2)
· 1 whole medium Butternut Squash, roasted
· 1 whole medium onion, diced
· 1 whole medium Fuji apple, diced
· 12 oz uncooked maple breakfast sausage
· 3 TBS apple cider vinegar
· 1/3 cup brown sugar
· 1 TBS rubbed sage
· 1 TBS ground sage
· 1 TSP garlic powder
· 1 TSP onion powder
· S+P to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
CAREFULLY Cut the Butternut Squash in half, (lengthwise) — sweet Jesus please keep all your appendages — scoop out the seeds, slather with olive oil, sprinkle on S+P & garlic powder – place facedown on the sheetpan & roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway thru.
***Allow the Butternut Squash to cool COMPLETELY before cubing & scooping – otherwise it will be hot as shit, you will burn yourself & the squash will be mush due to the heat***
In a large pan on Medium heat, sauté the diced apple & onion together first until soft & season with S+P, garlic powder & onion powder, about 5 minutes.
Next, turn up the heat to Medium-High & add in the breakfast sausage. Cook until no pink remains – stir to combine with the apples & onions thoroughly.
Once the sausage has cooked, pour in the 3 TBS of apple cider vinegar – the pan should be lively! Be sure to stir around & scrape up any brown bits that may be at the bottom of the pan from the sausage. Continue to stir for about a minute – the apple cider vinegar should absorb & cook off by half.
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
((Or just turn it down if you still had it on. Whatever.))
Next, sprinkle in BOTH sages – ground & rubbed. Stir thoroughly to combine.
Then stir in the brown sugar – things should smell OH SO heavenly right about now. Give it a taste! If you are satisfied, then turn the heat down to Low. If not, add a sprinkle / dash of everything from above & give it another whirl.
Pungent whiffs of the apple cider vinegar combined with the sweetness of the brown sugar & hints of sage should be alllllllll around.
ONCE THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH HATH COOLED (shit I really hope you paid attention) take a knife & cube your butternut squash. Then gently scoop out the cubes & place them directly into the pan with all the other goodness : sausage, apples & onion.
***be sure to cut the squash cubes gently & not too deep – you still need the shells / boats to put all your stuff BACK IN and back into the oven to finish off! If you cut too deep you will rip the shell & that is no good***
“Fold in the ____” not cheese, but butternut squash.
Your beautiful cubes should have *some* give to them but you don’t want to squish the squash – the presentation is amazing on this dish as long as you don’t turn it into a nasty looking orange paste by stirring too damn hard – you feel me?
Once you have combined everything together, give it a taste! I hope you like what you’re tasting because it’s a little late now to adjust your spices.
Now is the fun part : carefully spoon your mixture back into the butternut squash carcasses, I mean, boats.
Stick them back into the oven at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes, just to make sure everyone is hot & merry together!
Remove from the oven & serve promptly! Voila!
Unexcited Unless its a Soup?
THINK AGAIN!
I adore this recipe because it allows me to get my shit together at my own pace. I can roast the Butternut Squash on my lunch break, cook up the apples, onions & sausage later and throw it all together & back into the oven to finish off in less than 20 minutes. Add a fresh side salad & it’s a perfect fall meal! The butternut squash is full of healthy vitamins, the apple sweetens everything up & the presence of breakfast sausage will appease even the pickiest of eaters. I’m personally obsessed with “boats” for dinner vessels because it just looks so damn pretty! I love serving butternut squash boats on a plate and everything is all right there. I sincerely hope you’re pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down. Hope you can squeeze in some time before Thanksgiving to make this dish & enjoy it as much as we do! But if you don’t, then same.
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
© 2021 Cookin’ & Cussin’
