Put some of the cubes ( I trust they are no less than an inch square) into a baking dish, drizzle with a little olive or walnut oil...or a little butter....salt and pepper and toss to coat and roast at 375 until the corners are a little browned and the squash is fork tender.
Make soup out of some.....
cook and mash some and use for pumpkin bars or sup for applesauce in an applesauce muffin.

Wow! I just sat down here to look for a good butternut squash soup recipe, and this is the first post! Any suggestions on recipes????

Here's my favorite soup!

Butternut Squash Soup

1 Tblsp Olive oil or butter
2-3 lbs Butternut squash, peeled, and diced into 1 inch chunks
3 large carrots chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 Tblsp ginger(1"piece) grated
2 quarts of vegetable stock or chicken stock or cold water (mixed chicken and veggie)
1 bunch parsley, chopped
Pinch of: nutmeg, Powdered ginger, Curry powder, Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil or butter over medium heat in a large saucepot, saut� the squash, carrots, onion and ginger for 3 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Add the stock and some orange zest (if desired) and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cook uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the parsley, nutmeg, salt, pepper, ginger and curry to taste. Puree the soup with a handheld immersion blender, food processor or regular blender until smooth and creamy. Soup can be garnished with fresh sage leaves and Parmesan Crostini.

Serves 4-6 people

Thanks! Just trying to decide what flavors we wanted in our soup.

Here's the version I use most often:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE

3 leeks (white portion only), cleaned and sliced
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4 Tbs. butter or margarine (1/ 4 cup)
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken broth
3 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup milk

In Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, melt butter and saute the leeks and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients except milk. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Cool until lukewarm. In a blender or food processor, puree soup in small batches until smooth; return to pan. Add milk, stir until smooth and heat through (do not boil). Add salt to taste. Can be sprinkled with chopped chives or parsley before serving. Makes about 3 quarts.

Notes: One large onion can be substituted for the leeks. You can replace 2 Tbs. of the butter with 2 Tbs. olive oil. The milk can be anything from skim milk through half-and-half. My friend uses canned evaporated skim milk and also white pepper instead of regular black pepper. Since it makes a lot, you can freeze it after soup is pureed and before milk is added. Then after defrosting, add milk.

You can definitely use it in a pie like pumpkin. It's better to cook it before you freeze it, otherwise it tastes weird. I am lazy- I make soup that's just sauteed garlic, squash, stock or water, salt, and a dollop of cream cheese at the end, just before mixing.

We decided on a version similar to Ruthanna's because we made a large pot, and because we were having it with quiche tonight. Tomorrow we are going to add the ginger, nutmeg, and curry to some of it, and if there is any left we'll add some cinnamon and nutmeg to that the next day. We figured we won't get tired of it this way!

To cook for pies/cake or to freeze, I put the cubes in a micro-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and bleem it for as long as it takes to cook (stir and check every 5 mins). Usually takes about 15 mins or so for a large bowl. This way it doesn't get waterlogged. Then mash and measure into recipe-sized amounts, and freeze.

Hmm....Coleen..."bleem" it! LOL! Is that an Aussie-ism? or personal with you? I usually zap stuff in the microwave!
Wondering what other people do? "Cook" sounds so mundane for that amazing thing that cooks stuff in seconds!

Here is my favorite butternut squash recipe. I make it thick for a pasta sauce or thin for soup. Freezes very nicely too.

Butternut Squash Sauce
Ingredients
� 2 cups butternut squash, cut in chunks
� 1/2 large Vidalia or sweet onion
� 1/2 small apple, peeled and cored
� 1/2 small red bell pepper,
� 1 small stalk celery (about 4-5 " long) ,
� 1 clove garlic,
� 1- 2 tablespoons tomato paste I use kind in tube is more concentrated
� 1 tsp sugar
� 1/2 to 3/4 cup half and half I used fat free because that is what I had. Amount will vary depending on "thickness" of cooked veggies.
� 1 tsp table salt
� 1/8 tsp black pepper
� 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
� 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg I just grate from whole nutmeg till I think is enough
Instructions:
Cut all veggies and apple into chunks and put on baking sheet, roast at 375 for about 30-40 min until soft and beginning to caramelize. Leave garlic whole but peel
When cool place all roasted veggies and apple along with other ingredients except half and half in food processor and process until smooth. Thin with half and half and water Until desired thickness. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg to taste. Add more liquid if making soup. Or use vegetable broth to thin. I do not like taste of chicken broth in this.
Re-heat before serving over favorite pasta, I like penne. Add freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Can add sauce to browned Italian sausage if a meaty pasta sauce is desired.

I always have buckets full of butternut squash from the garden this time of year, so I cut them all in half, remove seeds, place them cut side down on a big baking sheet and bake them until soft. Scoop them out and freeze 2 cups per container.

I use it all winter in soups, sweet quick breads, filling for ravioli and in yeast rolls. Very yummy and very versatile.

Annie

I guess it's a regional thing, Linda, everyone knows what I mean :-)

I made this last night and it was delicious. I don't think the saffron added much, so I would omit it next time.
Alexa
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Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All Rights Reserved
. Prep Time:10 minInactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:40 minLevel:IntermediateServes:4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients
1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces pancetta, diced
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.

I've never had butternut squash - does it taste like squash or like pumpkin. I like the flavor of squash - pumpkin I do not really care for, and that's how I always thought it would taste. I will eat pumpkin once or twice a year, and that is enough of that flavor for me. I eat regular squash and zucchini all the time, however.

Lars

Lars, winter squash tastes like squash, but some are drier and sweeter. Butternut kind of reminds me of sweet potato but not as dry. Acorn is less sweet and more moist. Spaghetti squash pulls out in strands and tastes a bit like acorn squash to me.

None of the winter squashes taste at all like zucchini, they are mostly hard skinned and orange fleshed.

Annie

Thanks, Annie! I like squash, I've just only eaten a small sampling of them. I like acorn squash and spaghetti squash, although it seems a bit messy to me. I like the idea of baking squash - when it gets cool enough to do it - since I don't use the oven all that much. Lately I've been using it mostly just to keep things warm. I'm ready for a change in the weather - I'm having to do a lot of watering lately due to the heat, and it doesn't stay light out as long as it did. I have to do some of my watering at lunch. I have a nice young crop of basil that is doing very well in the heat.

Lars

Lars, we had that blistering hot summer, I sure won't complain about the cold. Here it's in the 50s and finally, raining. I had a bumper crop of butternut squash, I guess it liked the heat. Acorn did less well.

It's selling for 39 cents a pound here, that includes Delicata, Butternut, buttercup, Acorn, Heart of Gold and spaghetti squash.

If they weren't so heavy, I'd mail you some, but I think you can probably buy it more cheaply than I can ship it!

Annie

1.49 cents a lb here in Boston Annie for butternut squash.. going to roast some today, sounds really interesting.

june

Thanks for the offer Annie, but I bought a butternut squash at Trader Joe's today for $1.69 - it was pretty large, but the round part was proportionally small, and so I thought it might have fewer seeds. The sticker on it said that you can add brown sugar to it to make it taste like pumpkin, but that's not what I want. The sticker also said to cut it in half lengthwise and bake it. I think I will cook it that way instead of cutting it into cubes. That way I can taste it cooked and decide what to do with it. I think I may do something a bit unconventional with it.

Lars