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Meat Free Monday: Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese

My first mistake with this recipe is I tried to pass it off on the hubby as a main dish.  He didn’t buy it…not for one second.  It seemed like a hearty meal to me, but he says he would prefer it as a side in the future (maybe so he can choose not to eat it??).  I really think it’s his whole mindset of needing a grain or protein at every meal.  So just keep that in mind if you decide to make this dish…will it be a side or a main dish? 

I mean, can you see why I would think it could pass as a main dish?

roasted squash 2

My second mistake was not roasting the squash long enough.   It looked pretty well roasted to me: 

roasted squash 1

But it ended up being a little on the hard side, and I prefer a more mashed texture. 

So if I make this one again, it will be as a side dish (even if I eat it as a main dish) and I will be sure to roast the squash until tender.  It also could have used a bit more flavor.  Maybe more salt or maybe sun-dried tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes?  It’s a great basic recipe and I love the concept and the goat cheese is a MUST 🙂 but next time I will experiment a bit.

Let me know if you have a similar recipe I can try out.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese


Ingredients

1 large butternut squash

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup zucchini cut into 1-inch chunks

1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 red onion, cut into thin wedges

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup crumbly goat cheese

1 tablespoon breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut criss-cross patterns over the cut-side of each one. Mix together the garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, chili and thyme and brush this mixture over the flesh. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the flesh is tender.

To make the filling, put the zucchini, pepper and onion in a roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season and roast for about 20-25 minutes until tender and starting to brown at the edges. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.

Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley and Parmesan.

Spoon the roasted vegetables and goat cheese in the squash halves, scatter with the breadcrumb mix and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Take out of the oven and serve immediately.