Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage and Browned Butter

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time45 minutes

Total Time50 minutes

Servings4

Ingredients

1 2-4 pound butternut squash

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil , divided

½ teaspoon kosher salt , divided

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , divided

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup sage leaves

Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.

Lay your butternut squash on its side on a cutting board and use your sharpest knife to cut off the top. Then, carefully slice the squash in half, stem to stem. Use a sturdy spoon to scrape and scoop out the insides and discard them. Place the raw butternut squash cut side down and lay a chopstick on each long-side of the halves. Use a sharp, heavy knife to make evenly spaced ⅛-1/4-inch slices through the squash. Slice until the blade of the knife hits the chopsticks on either side of the squash.

Carefully lift the squash to a baking sheet and roast. Drizzle each half with ½ tablespoon of olive oil and spread to distribute the oil evenly. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper. Place squash in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes, depending on its size (start checking at 40 minutes). The squash is done when it’s caramelized (slightly burnished) and very tender, but not mushy.

While the squash is roasting, melt your butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the sage leaves and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan when the butter starts to brown. Add the sage leaves and cook for 2 minutes or so, or until the butter is brown and the sage leaves are slightly crispy but not burnt. Remove the sage and set aside to cool and crisp.

To serve, place the halves on a platter and drizzle with browned butter then top with sage, freshly grated Parmesan, salt, and more freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

Note: If you want, you can take a fork to mash the squash, then remove it from its skin, add it to a bowl, and stir in the browned butter. Then top with the crispy sage leaves and fresh Parmesan.