Butternut Squash

Last Sunday we went to my sister's baby shower for her husband's side of the family and friends.  It was a very nice afternoon and she got a ton of wonderful gifts.  When I got home I decided I was going to do something with the crazy amount of butternut squash we had from the past 2 CSA deliveries, especially since I was going to need room in our fridge for Thanksgiving.

I used 2 squash for Butternut Squash soup, 1 for Macaroni & Cheese and the other was cubed and blanched and put in the freezer to be used at a later date.

I heard about the Macaroni and Cheese recipe from my Aunt Marylynn. She saw it in the September 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine and made it for her family; they all really enjoyed it including my cousin Neil who apparently despises Butternut Squash.  The recipe is actually called Creamy, Light Macaroni & Cheese, it has 390 calories per serving. The recipe below makes 8 servings, click the link for the complete nutritional information. The best part about this is it's a very kid friendly recipe.  S enjoyed it!


Creamy, Light Macaroni & Cheese

• 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash) 
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk 
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese 
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1 pound uncooked cavatappi
• Cooking spray 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.

6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Butternut Squash Soup with Crisp Pancetta
I found this recipe on my Food & Wine Magazine app on my iPad.

•  4 medium butternut squash (6 pounds)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 12 very thin slices of pancetta (3 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large Spanish onion, chopped
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Sugar (optional)  

1.   Preheat the oven to 400°. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Set the squash on a rimmed baking sheet, cut sides up. Put a piece of butter in each cavity and season generously with salt and pepper. Drape the squash halves with the pancetta slices. Roast the squash for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tender.
2. Transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain. Crumble and set aside. Scoop the squash out of the skins into a bowl.
3. In a large, heavy stockpot, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add 3 of the thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Stir in the squash and the stock and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Pick out and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until thick and creamy-smooth, about 1 minute per batch. Transfer the soup to a clean saucepan. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper (and sugar if desired).
5. Reheat the soup if necessary. Ladle into 12 bowls. Garnish the soup with the pancetta, the leaves from the remaining 3 thyme sprigs and a drizzle of olive oil.

Make Ahead: The soup and roasted pancetta can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat the soup and re-crisp the pancetta before serving; the soup may need to be thinned with stock or water. 

I made the soup on Sunday night and started to puree it until I woke S up in the process.  So I ended up having to finish pureeing it on Monday night.  We just re-heated the soup and it was delicious.  I didn't add any sugar.  We ate it with some crusty bread.  Yum!