I recently spoke to someone who claimed that she didn’t like butternut squash since it had no flavor, but while it can sometimes have a mild flavor, I knew of a delicious Korean recipe with cubed butternut squash that definitely couldn’t be called flavorless. I made it and my friend loved it and said that at least this type of butternut squash they liked.
The thing is, that butternut squash recipe is a bit of a pain to make since it involves peeling and cubing the butternut squash, and those buggers are really hard. However, it’s the cubing of the squash that allows the flavors to really soak into it, saturating it with deliciousness.
I had the idea to cook the butternut squash halved, but cut grooves into it to allow the sauce to soak in, and use a simplified version of the flavors in the original recipe, just soy sauce and sweet chili sauce. It was a knockout recipe. My kids have asked me to make butternut squash this way only from now on.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- Sweet chili sauce, as needed
- Soy sauce, as needed (use gluten free soy sauce to keep gluten free, and use coconut aminos to keep soy free as well)
- Sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cut your butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds.
- Cut lines horizontally into the squash, making sure the grooves are deep enough for the sauce to sink in all the way, while making sure not to cut all the way through to the other side.
- Slather your squash with sweet chili sauce and soy sauce, using more than you think you’d need. It has a capacity to soak up large amounts of the sauce, and it’s what gives this dish its flavor.
- Bake at 350 for anywhere between 75-90 minutes or until the squash is totally soft (you can stick a fork into it easily) and the sugars in the sweet chili sauce are caramelized.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool somewhat. This tastes just as good as leftovers.
- Cut into portion sized pieces before serving. You can eat the skin if you want.
- Enjoy!
What is your favorite way to prepare butternut squash? Does this look like a recipe you’d enjoy?
One Response
This sounds amazing! I know what I’m making for lunch!!