Butternut Squash Stuffed with Chicken and Cheese

Shredded chicken is a staple in my freezer for quick meals.  It's a staple, but not very glamorous.  So I thought I'd try something new today: mix it up w/ cheese and marinara sauce, then bake until ooey gooey.  YUM!

I used some leftover butternut squash bottoms (the bulbous part with the seeds inside).  I'd already used the top parts for something else last week.  If you have whole squashes on hand, just cut off the straight top section, wrap it in foil and refrigerate it for another meal.

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Chicken and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 small butternut squash bottom, halved with seeds scooped out
• salt & pepper
• 1-ish cup cooked shredded chicken breast
• 1-ish cup prepared marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's from a jar)
• a few tablespoons shredded mozzarella
• a few tablespoons of parmesan (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place butternut squash halves, skin down, on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  Sprinkle lightly with s&p.  Bake for about 45 minutes until fork tender.  (You can pre-bake the empty squashes a few days in advance, then wrap them in foil and refrigerate until you're ready to fill them.  Or if you fail to plan in advance, like me sometimes, you can microwave the squash halves for about 4 - 5 minutes until tender.)
• Meanwhile, mix the chicken and marinara sauce together in a bowl.  Season with more s&p as needed.
• Once the squash is fork tender, remove from the oven and fill with the chicken mixture and top with the mozzarella (and optional parmesan).  Return the squash to the oven for another 20 - 30 minutes until cheese is melted and everything is bubbly.

Massaged Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and Dried Cranberries

Most of my friends know how much I love massaged kale salads.  We have it at least once a week, often twice.  So last week my friend Melanie forwarded me this massaged kale salad recipe that includes roasted butternut squash and dried cranberries.  Looked delish!  I read through it once, but then promptly forgot everything except butternut squash and dried cranberries.  So when I went to make it for dinner tonight, I had the butternut squash and dried cranberries, but of course I didn't have any poppy seeds.  Or shallots.  Or lemons, even!  So I had to improvise and combined the two recipes together, and used a lime.  It was really good!  Thanks for the recipe, Melanie!

Massaged Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and Dried Cranberries
Inspired by this recipe.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 small-ish butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 1 large bunch of kale
• juice of 1 large lime
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries 
• several turns of the black pepper grinder

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Peel the butternut and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.  Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and some TSSS to taste.  Spread the squash out onto a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, wash and spin-dry the kale, remove the thick middle stem, and chop or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.
• Place kale, remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice and salt into a large bowl.  Massage the kale with your hands for a few minutes until it becomes soft.
• Add the cranberries, roasted butternut squash, and black pepper and toss.

Squash and Chicken Stew

So it's a gazillion degrees outside and I'm feeling stewey.  (Mom...Mom...Mom...Mummy...Mum...Mummy...)  At least it's a one pot deal.

Butternut squash was on sale at the grocery store.  I love the creamy sweetness of butternut squash.  I also got a nice bunch of cherry tomatoes and two beautiful yellow squashes from my tiny garden. Into the pot!

Squash and Chicken Stew
Inspired by this recipe.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 medium yellow squashes, sliced
• 1 (5 oz.) container of sliced button mushrooms
• 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
• large pinch of dried oregano
• large pinch of dried basil
• large pinch of dried thyme
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• grated parmesan for garnish (optional)

Directions:

• Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Sauté the onion until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and stir for a minute until fragrant.
• Add in the butternut squash, tomatoes, chicken broth and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook, covered, until the butternut squash is almost tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients (except the parmesan).  Bring back to a boil, reduce to simmer, and continue to cook, covered, until the veggies are all tender, about 15 minutes.
• Ladle into bowls and top with grated parmesan.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

I've had a beautiful butternut squash on my counter for a couple of months now.  I keep meaning to use it, but what with the recent holiday season and hubby being off for two weeks, we mostly ate out (unfortunately for our waistlines as well as our pocketbooks).  The good thing about winter squashes (like butternut and acorn) is that they can keep for quite a while in the pantry if you buy them when they're really fresh.

Normally I just make a straight-forward butternut squash soup, but today I happen to have two beautiful firm Anjou pears in my fruit bowl, and I thought they'd give the soup a delicious sweet twist.  I've also been known to add carrots, sweet potatoes, and whole peas to this recipe (not all at once, though).  If you decide to try other combos, please let me know how they turn out.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 large-ish butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• PAM cooking spray
• ground cinnamon
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 firm Anjou pear, seeded and cubed (I left the skin on)
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• plain lowfat Greek yogurt
• a few tablespoons roasted sunflower (or pumpkin) seeds

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray a baking sheet with PAM and place the cubed squash in a single layer on the pan.  Sprinkle lightly with ground cinnamon and TSSS.  Roast for 30-40 minutes until tender.
• In a heated sauté pan, drizzle olive oil and sweat the diced onion.  Add the pear and toss for a few minutes.  
• Add the roasted squash and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the pear is tender.
• Using a stick blender, puree the mixture until smooth (or chunky if you prefer).
• Ladle into bowls and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds.

Butternut Squash Tacos

Let me start off by saying I got this idea from here. It is such a brilliant idea, I only wish I'd come up with it myself. And her presentation of the dish is just gorgeous. I love her blog.

I decided to go vegetarian tonight, so I made the tacos with beans instead of meat, but you could easily use ground beef or turkey, or sliced steak, etc.  I also am not good with mixing seasonings, so I just used a packet of Lawry's taco seasoning instead of making up my own.

I decided to copy Kath in her blog and used the butternut squash "bottoms" as the "taco shells" because the presentation is so gorgeous.  I sliced up the leftover squash "tops" -- the long thin part without seeds inside -- and boxed them up to use for something else later in the week (maybe roasted?).

Butternut Squash Tacos
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 2 smallish-medium butternut squash "bottoms", washed, halved and seeded
• 1/4 onion, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced or sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can (15 oz.) great northern beans, drained
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• cinnamon powder
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt (or salt & pepper) to taste
• Whatever toppings you like (today I used diced avocado and Greek yogurt)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray the bottom of a baking pan with cooking spray.  Place the butternut squash "bottoms" in the pan, cut side down.  Bake until fork-tender, usually about 30 - 40 minutes, depending on the size of your squash.
• In the meantime, sauté the onion and carrot in olive oil until onion is translucent and carrot is soft.
• Add the beans and taco seasoning and cook per instructions on the seasoning packet.
• Once the squash is soft, remove from heat and flip them over (skin side down) onto a serving plate.  Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon and Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt.
• Fill each squash half with the taco bean mixture and top with whatever you like.  
• Serve immediately while still warm.

The diced avocado and Greek yogurt I used tonight was a delicious creamy combo that was a perfect match for the beans.  You could also use guacamole, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.

ETA on 10/21/11: If you're pressed for time and don't have 40 minutes to bake the squash bottoms, you can put them (already halved and seeded) in a microwave-safe bowl with a couple tablespoons of water, cover and nuke on high for 5 - 7 minutes until mostly soft.  Then place the squash onto a baking sheet misted with olive oil, and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree F oven for about 15 minutes.

Baked Butternut Squash with Chicken and Parmesan

I love butternut squash.  So does the hubby.  And the toddler.  But I always end up doing the same thing over and over: cubing, seasoning and roasting it in the oven.  While delicious, I wanted to try something new.  I came across this recipe (linked below) while searching on the Web, and was intrigued by the addition of the cream.  It sounded so luxurious.  And then I thought, "hey, why not make a meal of it?"... and so this recipe was born.  I swapped out the cream for evaporated skim milk, tinkered with the seasonings a little, and I added some chicken and red kidney beans.  Serve with a side of garlic green beans (optional) and you're good to go.

Butternut Squash with Chicken and Parmesan
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• PAM
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated skim milk
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans
• a few dashes of ground nutmeg
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan, divided

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Season the chicken well.  In a large skillet, brown the chicken with some PAM.
• Once the chicken is browned (doesn't need to be fully cooked), add the evaporated skim milk, butternut squash, kidney beans and 1 cup of the grated parmesan (and more salt if you'd like).  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
• Pour everything into a 9"x13" baking dish.  Bake for 40 - 50 minutes until squash is tender.
• Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan and leave in the oven for a few minutes until melted.