I Made It Monday: Butternut Squash Sauté

This is a side dish that was pretty new for me. I saw it in one of Mookie’s recipe books and I have enjoyed squash in dishes other people have prepared and it feels like an autumn dish so I copied it and thought I’d give it a try. When it came time to cut and peel the butternut squash, I knew it was not going to be pretty and I could very possibly hurt myself, so instead of just plowing into it I checked online for tips on cutting & peeling butternut squash and found this video.

WARNING: she is a bit chatty…

Pretty interesting, huh? Well, prepared with an idea of what I was supposed to do I set to it. It took me forever and I certainly wasn’t graceful but all 10 fingers were in tact by the end so I call that good! The rest was pretty simple – but I barely fit it all into my pan. I’ll have to use a bigger one next time.

Butternut Squash Sauté

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 med onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 small butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (6 cups) (OR one really big one)
½ tsp chopped fresh or 1/8 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups firmly packed baby spinach leaves (I usually wait till the packages go on sale)

-In a 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. -Stir in onion. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender.
-Stir in squash, thyme and pepper. Cover; cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender. Stir in spinach just until wilted.

About 8 servings and takes about 40 minutes from start to finish (unless you are new to cutting and peeling squash which then might require about 15-20 extra minutes :O)