Butternut Squash With Wilted Spinach Food

WILTED SPINACH SALAD WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute the squash, chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 teaspoons oil until tender, 11-13 minutes. Set aside; keep warm., In a small saucepan, bring vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 4-6 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Stir in the wine, cranberry sauce, remaining oil and remaining salt. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute longer. , Place spinach on a serving platter; top with onion, cranberries and squash mixture. Drizzle with warm dressing. Sprinkle with almonds, goat cheese and, if desired, pepper. Serve immediately.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH GNOCCHI WITH GARLIC-SAGE BUTTER OVER WILTED SPINACH

Steps:

• Pour water into the pot of a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®) and place a steamer basket inside. Place butternut squash and potatoes in the steamer basket. Close and lock the lid. Select high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions; set timer for 5 minutes. Allow 15 minutes for pressure to build.
• Release pressure carefully using the quick-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid. Use a pot holder to remove the steamer basket and set aside to allow the squash and potatoes to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Press the squash and potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Add egg and salt, and mix thoroughly. Sift about 1 1/2 cups of flour over the mixture and mix to combine. If the mixture is still sticky, add a bit more flour until it comes together. Turn out mixture onto a well-floured surface and knead slightly, adding more flour until the dough is no longer sticking to your hands or to the surface.
• Divide dough into 4 parts. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and dust with flour.
• Take 1 piece of dough and roll it into a 1/2-inch thick rope on the floured surface. Cut the rope lengthwise into 1/2-inch pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll each piece down a floured gnocchi board to make ridges. Transfer gnocchi onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Place baking sheets in the freezer while you prepare the sauce and spinach.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, place wet spinach in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover and allow condensation to build until the spinach starts to wilt, about 3 minutes. Remove lid and stir the spinach until wilted and the pan begins to dry. Divide spinach among 4 serving plates.
• Combine butter and olive oil in the same skillet that you cooked the spinach. Heat over medium-high heat until mixture begins to foam. Add sage, garlic, and red pepper and swirl the pan to combine. Remove from heat.
• Cook gnocchi in boiling water until they float, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet with the garlic-sage butter. Toss lightly to coat. Place gnocchi on top of spinach on the serving plates and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve immediately.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH W/ WILTED SPINACH AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F Halve the squash lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard seeds.
• If desired, peel with a vegetable peeler or cut into big chunks and keep steady on the cutting board while cutting off the peel with a knife.
• Cut into 1-inch cubes. Transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil, salt and pepper and spread out in a single layer.
• Roast, tossing occasionally, until just tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Stop cooking squash but keep it warm.
• Use a fork to mash together blue cheese and lemon juice in a large bowl to make a thick smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onions, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add spinach and cook, tossing often, until slightly wilted and warm, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Transfer contents of skillet to bowl with dressing, add squash, salt and pepper and toss to combine.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH BABY SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine squash and onions in large shallow pan.
• Drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss lightly.
• Roast for 55 minutes until tender and brown.
• Add spinach and craisins, toss.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PENNE WITH CHICKEN, BACON AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 13x9 pan liberally with non-stick spray. Start a pot of 5 qt water with liberal salt for the penne.
• Cook bacon until crisp over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Drain bacon over paper towels and reserve 3 TBSP fat in pan.
• Salt and pepper chicken pieces. Cook chicken breast pieces in the bacon fat for about 4 minutes, until no longer pink in the center. Reserve chicken and tent with foil.
• Add enough olive oil to coat pan; add squash, salt, pepper and sage. Cover pan and stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes, until squash is semi-soft. Add onion and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add garlic, red pepper, and spinach to skillet and cook until spinach is wilted, 3-4 minutes.
• Do not cook your penne until al dente; it will continue to cook in the oven. Only cook for about 7 minutes.
• In a seperate saucepan cook flour over medium heat, gradually adding milk and whisking continuously until boiling. Boil for two minutes or until thickened; remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until melted.
• Add flour/milk/cheese mixture to pasta; add pasta to squash mixture. Stir in the cooked chicken and crumbled bacon. Add more milk if mixture is too thick. Spread mixture into 13x9 pan; sprinkle more cheese on top if desired. Cook in oven 15-20 minutes or until cheese is browned and bubbling. Let cool for 10-15 minutes; serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO WITH SPINACH AND TOASTED PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add about 3 1/2 cups squash in even layer and cook without stirring until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer squash to bowl and set aside.
• Return skillet to medium heat; add reserved squash fibers and seeds and any leftover diced squash. Cook, stirring frequently to break up fibers, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to large saucepan and add vegetable broth and water; cover saucepan and bring mixture to simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain bare simmer.
• While broth mixture is simmering, add 1 teaspoon olive oil to now-empty skillet and swirl to coat. Add 4 ounces baby spinach and cook, covered, over medium heat, until leaves begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring constantly, until fully wilted, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter (or margarine) in now-empty skillet over medium heat; when foaming subsides, add onions, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, strain hot broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan and discard solids in strainer; cover saucepan and set over low heat to keep broth hot.
• When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth and half of reserved squash to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.
• Stir in about 1/2 cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 more times, until rice is al dente. Turn off the heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter/margarine, Parmesan, sage, and nutmeg; drain excess liquid from spinach and gently fold in spinach and remaining cooked squash. If desired, add up to 1/4 cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Top individual servings of risotto with toasted pine nuts; serve immediately.

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SPINACH GRATIN

Steps:

• If using fresh spinach, bring 1 inch water to a boil in a 6- to 8-quart pot over high heat. Add spinach, a few handfuls at a time, and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. You may skip this step if you like, I don't think it's really necessary.
• Thoroughly squeeze cooked fresh or thawed frozen spinach in small handfuls to remove excess moisture(try to get it absolutely dry), then coarsely chop and transfer to a bowl.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in an 8-inch heavy skillet over medium low heat, then cook onion and garlic, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes(you can cook it till caramalized if you like). Add onion mixture to spinach along with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cream and stir to combine.
• Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F Butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish (13 by 9 inches; not glass-I think you could use glass, just be careful when broiling-that's the reason it's not recommended).
• Cut squash to separate bulb section from solid neck section, then cut pieces lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with slicer or food processor. To make the squash easier to cut, microwave for 3-5 minutes.
• Layer squash and spinach mixture in baking dish, using about one fifth of squash and one fourth of spinach for each layer, beginning and ending with squash. Sprinkle each layer of squash evenly with cheeses and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then cover directly with a sheet of parchment or wax paper(or use glass lid). Bake until squash is tender and filling is bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes. If you like, you can use individual baking dishes, just note shorter cooking time. I haven't tried baking it individually so cook times are estimated.
• Remove paper and bake gratin until browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes, or broil 3 inches from heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Enjoy!
• Note:.
• If making individual gratins, bake 20-30 minutes.
• Also, for a shortcut, use 3 packages of creamed spinach(cooked) and skip the cream.
• Some reviewers added a little jalapeno(or chipotle peppers and sliced almonds on top.