Ina's Caramelized Butternut Squash

I heart butternut squash! Although it may not feel like "fall" here in Arizona, I am glad that our local markets at least carry autumn produce for great prices. I recently purchased 2 butternut squash for a song!!! Nothing makes me giddy like groceries on the cheap!!! Anyway, I decided to use my squash this week for two different recipes...this side dish being one of them. Our main course is going to be t-bone steaks on the grill. Since the steaks we have are huge, I figured that just a side dish of yummy butternut squash would be a nice compliment to our meal. My friend, Claire recently made this dish and her family loved it. Really, what is not to love??? Butternut squash and brown sugar.....yum. Thanks Claire, for another great idea.

Ina's Caramelized Butternut Squash
1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved

Ingredients:
2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 pounds total)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off and discard the ends of each butternut squash. Peel the squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to caramelize. While roasting, turn the squash a few times with a spatula, to be sure it browns evenly. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

Jen's Notes:
I am only using one squash, so I am halving this recipe.



The Result:
Sorry the photo is a little strange on this one. The battery died on my SLR, so I had to result to using my little PowerShot digital on this pic. Sigh. At least you can kinda get the idea of how this looked.

This was soooooo yummy and totally easy. Even the husband and boy, who are both normally dubious about squash, loved this side dish! This is a great way to prepare butternut squash!!!!