A Tale of Two Squashes: Part 1

Ahhhh... fall. One of my favorite times of the year because of all the fresh produce that is available. I decided to experiment this year with different types of winter squash. First, the butternut. I've seen this prepared most commonly as a sweet side dish, combined with brown sugar and butter. I decided to prepare this squash with a savory flavor.

Butternut Squash Casserole
1 two to three lb. butternut squash
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 C fat free half and half
1/2 C blue cheese crumbles
1/2 C parmesan cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the squash for baking by cutting it in half WITH A VERY SHARP KNIFE and scooping out the seeds. Rub both halves with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the halfs cut side up in a baking dish with about an inch of water. Bake uncovered for about an hour, or until fork tender.

In a large bowl, combine the squash (after scooping/scraping it out of the skin) and remaining ingredients, except for the parmesan cheese. Mash with a fork to incorporate everything.

Lightly coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the squash mixture to the baking dish and top with the parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

P.S. Sorry for the craptastic picture above, but we dove into the squash dish before I remembered to grab the camera. We had this with pork tenderloin, rubbed with dijon mustard and baked with apples and onions.