Try saying that 5x fast!

Every week, I try to have some cooked veggies on hand to just throw together in a quick dish for lunch or dinner when in a hurry, like in my freekeh fried "rice" or my farro veggie bowl. I've been eating a lot of butternut squash as it's in season, delicious, and really price-friendly right now. 

Butternut squash is delicious roasted plain with some olive oil, salt/pepper, and garlic, but this time I decided to upgrade it with a touch of brown butter and some sage to add a subtle kick of flavor. After all, you need some extra, hearty winter flavor with all this snow we've been getting.

It can also be intimidating to take apart a whole squash for beginning cooks, so I'm including some photos to show you step-by-step on how to peel and cube butternut squash.

It's really not intimidating at all- all you need is a sharp, good knife and a good veggie peeler.

How to Peel & Cube Butternut Squash

• Chop off the top and bottom of the squash, using the knife.
• Lie the squash on the side, and use your veggie peeler to peel away the skin.
• Stand the squash upright on a stable surface where it won't slip, and slice the squash down lengthwise in half.
• Using a spoon, scoop out seeds from the hollow.
• Slice and dice into cubes, strips, however you like your squash.

Now onto the easy recipe:

Roasted Brown Butter & Sage Butternut Squash

Ingredients

1 medium Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
3-4 tbsp Butter, grass-fed
5-6 Sage Leaves
Sprinkle of Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt, to taste

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a small saucepan heat butter on medium-high heat. It will bubble and froth, and whisk intermittently. Cook for several minutes until butter begins to brown (time will depend on your stove)- you will smell a caramel-like smell, and notice brown flecks in the butter. Immediately remove from heat, and drop in sage leaves. 

3. In a large mixing bowl, place cubed butternut squash and drizzle browned butter and sage mixture on top. Throw on some salt and mix around with a spatula.

4. Evenly spread out squash on the baking sheet, and pop into the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping/tossing halfway through, and cook until squash is softened and lightly browned on sides.

5. Let cool on baking sheet, and transfer into a bowl to enjoy!