The popular butternut squash was developed in the 1940s in Massachusetts – a cross between a few different squashes with a goal of getting one that was the right size for eating. The story goes that it got its name because it was “smooth like butter” and “sweet as a nut.”
While we eat it all year round this is the time of year when when we serve it more frequently. It’s especially easy to make when you have access to already cut up squash at your grocery store.
It’s simple to roast the squash. Just toss all the ingredients in a bowl with olive oil, taking care not to use too much oil and place on a parchment covered baking sheet in a single layer. No need to chop the fresh rosemary and thyme – just remove the leaves from the stems.
To dress up the squash when it came out of the oven, I tossed it with blue cheese crumbles. The pleasantly sharp flavor of the blue cheese goes well with the sweetness of the roasted squash. Since the squash is warm, the cheese melts a bit and creates a nice coating on the squash.
I used AmaBlu’s St. Pete’s Select blue cheese from the Caves of Faribault in Minnesota. AmaBlu was the first to make blue cheese in the United States. This particular variety is cave-aged for over 100 days which contributes to it’s complex flavor. Any good medium-flavored blue cheese will do. While I love intense blues, this isn’t the place for them.
This makes a great addition to a holiday meal or casual fall meal.
Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Note: Good news for those on a gluten-free diet as blue cheese has been found to have no traces of detectable gluten. Check out The Spruce’s article Blue Cheese Is Gluten-Free: A Research Update.
| Roasted Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese | | Print |
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash (see Notes)
- 2 shallots or half of a small sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary (no need to mince)
- Leaves from 7 sprigs of thyme (no need to mince)
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (medium flavored)
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In medium bowl toss butternut squash, shallots (or onion), garlic, rosemary, thyme, sea salt and freshly ground pepper with olive oil until well coated. (You may not need all of the olive oil.)
- Transfer mixture to baking sheet spreading out in one layer.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Toss every ten minutes or so.
- Transfer squash to a shallow bowl and sprinkle with blue cheese.
- Serve immediately.
Well, this was yummy. Really a great side dish with any meat. Served it with baked cod last night.
Susie – Glad you liked this simple dish!