Roasted Butternut Squash

Since fall is here, it's a good time to start making dishes with butternut squash, or you can roast it and serve it alongside a main dish. Here is a simple recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash that tastes delicious. You can roast the squash alone or with potatoes, carrots, or any other vegetables you desire! I made this tonight and my husband loved it - he said it was the highlight of the meal. I already had squash diced into smaller chunks before I decided I was making this, but I still roasted them for 30 minutes and they were perfect.

If you have never cut a butternut squash before, you can google how to peel and slice it or just check out this link. I used my biggest and sharpest knife and cut the top and bottom off of mine, used a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off, sliced it in half longways, scooped the seeds out with a spoon, and then diced it in small pieces. I did this two nights ago and used half of it for another recipe. It's easy to do this prep work ahead of time and keep the diced squash in a container in the refrigerator until you need it!

Roasted Butternut Squash

Recipe courtesy Ina Garten

                       

1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled and seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks

3 Tablespoons good olive oil

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or coarse black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place the squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss well. Arrange the squash in one layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

Yield: 4-5 servings.

Ready for the oven

Roasted

Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

Here is another easy and delicious roasted vegetable recipe - this one is for Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Carrots. I made this twice recently - the first time I used dried thyme and roasted for about 30 minutes. I thought the thyme was a bit overwhelming (2 teaspoons was just too much), and my husband thought the veggies weren't cooked enough. So the next time I made it, I eliminated the thyme and roasted for a bit longer, around 40 minutes, and that tasted better to both of us. You can substitute the thyme for rosemary or anything else that you like, but you may want to just use less of it. I prefer to cut baby potatoes in half or quarters but you can certainly leave them whole if you wish or if you just don't have time to cut them.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

Recipe courtesy Centercutcook.com

                       

1 lb. (bag) small potato medley, whole, halved or quartered

½ lb. baby carrots, whole

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or coarse black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, baby carrots, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme.

Stir to mix well.

Pour the potato-carrot mixture into an oven-safe large skillet (or can spread out on a rimmed baking sheet lined with tin foil).

Place the skillet into the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The potatoes and carrots are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings.

with thyme

without thyme

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

I have a habit of making sautéed spinach too often instead of buying other vegetables. I don't usually like steamed vegetables or soggy vegetables (yuck!), but I love roasted vegetables. Here is a quick and simple recipe for Roasted Broccoli with Garlic. This was so delicious I was snacking on it as I was finishing the rest of the dinner I made with it - and I don't even like broccoli that much!

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

Recipe courtesy Food Network Kitchen

                       

1 bunch broccoli (about 1½ pounds), cut into florets, stems peeled and sliced or diced

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or coarse pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.

Toss the broccoli florets with the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Spread them out and then roast, without stirring, until the edges are crispy and the stems are crisp tender, about 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

Yield: 4 servings.

Before roasting

After - crispy and delicious!