Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

Have you ever walked through one of those fancy kitchen supply stores or trendy markets, sampled something, and thought "Now THAT is amazing!  I have to get it!"  Only to find out that the mix or jarred puree is some ridiculously astronomical price?  Yeah, me too.  I am also sorry to say that many times, I have actually purchased said mix, but one day, last December, I sampled a butternut squash soup, loved it, saw that a small jar of the puree was $20, and said to myself, "You know what!?!  Enough!  I can make this at home WITHOUT paying a fortune for it!"  And that, kitchen friends, is what I did!!! 

The key ingredient to that soup is butternut squash puree.  While there are many ways that this can be done, I truly feel like this is the best way to get maximum flavor.  Let's get started!

Butternut Squash Puree:

*Prep Time:  10-15 minutes  *Cook Time:  1 hour  *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings: 4 c. of puree

Ingredients:



• 1 butternut squash
• Extra virgin olive oil, to coat
• Salt and Pepper

Tools:

• Chef's knife
• Spoon
• Baking sheet
• Spatula
• Blender, food processor, or potato masher

First of all you will need a large butternut squash.

You will see that there is a cylinder end, and a bulbous end.

You will want to cut the squash in half, separating those ends.

For the cylinder end, cut off the cap and discard.

Stand upright, and using your chef's knife, cut the peeling off in a downward motion.

Now to the bulbous end.

You will cut the bottom off, and just like the cylinder,

the peeling off in a downward motion.

Now cut the bulb in half.

You will see the seeds and "guts" of the squash.

Take a spoon and scoop them out. 

Now cut both ends into a large dice.

Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, coat with extra virgin olive oil, and

Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take them out of the oven.

You can see that the squash is starting to get tender and brown.

Use your spatula to turn the diced squash, and place back in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Here is what it looks like after an hour. 

You can definitely serve this as a delightful side dish, but we are going for a puree here so let's keep moving!

You are going to want to get out your blender or food processor.

"But, I don't have one of those!" 

Don't worry, you can use a handy dandy potato masher for this.

It may just take a little more elbow grease. 

Spoon the roasted squash into the blender.

Now, turn on the puree setting, and let blend till you get your desired texture.

And there you have it!  Delicious, homemade butternut squash puree! 

DELICIOUS!!! 

You can use this in soups, as a mashed vegetable blend, heck just eat it with a spoon! 

It freezes nicely, so if you get some of the squash at a great price, stock up!!!

Hope this helps you make great dishes AND save money!

As Always,

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,

~The Kitchen Wife~