butternut squash orzo

Fall is the absolute best time for cooking and baking. Fresh, delicious ingredients are ripe for the picking all around us, in every color, shape and size, and it's FINALLY cool enough to use the oven! I feel as though my life isn't long enough to try all the recipes I want to! I'm panicking!! And I have been making so many things I want to share....I don't know how to keep up on posting! help! Is posting twice a day annoying? I may have to throw a few extras in, to show you all these wonderful things we have been eating lately. I also promise to work on a recipe index so these things are easier to find!

This recipe smells so good cooking, and if you could bottle up the season, it would taste like this dish. It's very simple (I only do simple) but it is a bit time consuming, so just plan a little extra time. It is surprisingly filling, and my kids LOVED it...they thought it was macaroni and cheese:)  It would also make the perfect side dish....just take out the chicken and VWALLA!

Butternut Squash Orzo
Serves 4

1 roasted chicken (I put a (hormone/antibiotic free of course) chicken* in the crock pot in the morning with a lemon, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, and some s&p and let it cook until it falls apart.) 

1/2 butternut squash

1/2 small onion

2 cloves of garlic

salt and pepper and thyme
1/2c-3/4c chicken broth

1 cup orzo, fully cooked according to package directions

3 strips of bacon (I am not a bacon lover so this was just the right amount for me....if you love bacon, add a few more:)

1/3 c grated parmesan cheese

-Halve and clean squash

-Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme and s&p

place squash (cut side up), onion, and garlic cloves on a lined baking sheet and roast at 425 until veggies are fork tender, about 30 minutes (onion and garlic will need to be removed before squash) Squash will easily scoop right out of peel when it is done roasting.
-Add all veggies to a food processor, along with 1/2c chicken broth and puree.
-Add a bit more broth if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste.
-Combine cooked orzo, chicken, crumbled bacon, and butternut sauce.
Top with parmesan.

Serve with crusty bread and a simple salad.

enjoy!

bonus points: I roasted the entire squash and made a double batch of sauce to freeze. Next time I crave this (tomorrow) I can pull it out of the freezer and have dinner ready in jiffy. Who says in a jiffy?


*double bonus points: after you take the meat off the chicken, put all the leftover "parts" into a big pot, cover it with water, and let it simmer overnight. Strain it (really well....I won't lie, those "parts" are nasty) and you have home made chicken broth. After it cools, skim the fat off the top and you are good to go!