butternut squash, roasted to perfection

I approve of all things with the word butter in it.  Butter tarts, butterflies, and butternut squash for example.  

Butternut squash, when roasted perfectly, is one of the most delicious things on the planet.  When I say roasted perfectly, I mean the texture inside is buttery and the taste is sweet, and there are some deliciously caramelized brown bits to boot.

Here's how to achieve this:

Roasted Butternut Squash

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Take one large butternut squash, cut away the peel, discard the core (I use a spoon for easy scooping), and cut it up into 1" cubes.

2) Place the cubes on a pan, spread them out evenly in one layer.  Drizzle with canola oil, sprinkle with sea salt.

3) Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, on the top rack.  Turn the pieces, and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes until completely soft and some bits have caramelized.

Now that you have your perfectly roasted butternut squash, you can add it to stews, to quinoa (and toss with lemon juice and olive oil), to pasta (with sautéed kale or swiss chard).  There are endless way to turn this into a fast and delicious dinner. 

Enjoy!