Wednesday, October 6, 2010

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

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!

20 comments:

summer said...

yay! i've been looking for a way to start loving butternut! this seems like the perfect thing to try. thank you!!

sheena. i am so with you on the whole "my life isn't long enough to try all the recipes i want to" thing. YES! oh yes. (i have to make big long lists so i feel like they aren't getting overlooked.)

twice a day is not annoying at all. (you? annoying? never.) we would all be jumping up and down about it.

Tara said...

Mmm, sounds really good. Great idea making a double batch of sauce. And I applaud your using the um, carcass :) to make broth, I never have the patience. This sounds really good though, please keep the recipes coming!

Erin {pughs' news} said...

I bought a butternut squash on a whim at the grocery store the other day and I had no idea what I was going to do with it! Now I do... Thanks!

Cherish Stockdale said...

MMM that looks amazing, I have a butternut in the kitchen now just begging me to turn it into this recipe! Yum, and I would love 2 posts a day, everything you post is awesome! :)

Kristen616 said...

Oh this looks amazing! I have tons of butternut squash in my garden (it's my favorite squash!) so I'll definitely be trying this recipe. Looks so comforting!

Anonymous said...

Beautifully presented!

Valley Girl said...

this looks like some kind of good...I love it when folks share taste goods...thanks!!

melissa said...

hahahaha, for some reason the thought of being so productive is hilarious to me right now. but posting twice a day is not annoying, especially since there will come a day when i don't stare at my baby 24 hours a day.

Rach H @ FamilyEverAfter said...

that sounds and looks delicious. question- did you scrape the squash off its peel after it was roasted, or did you put the squash and the peel into the food processor? sorry, thats probably very amelia bedilia of me to ask such a question!

banananutmeg said...

what is orzo and where do I buy it? This sounds yummy. I LOVE butternut squash.

sheena said...

Meg: Orzo is a tiny little pasta--they're cute. It's just in the pasta section.

sheena said...

Rach H: hahah!! amelia bedilia!! Yes--the squash will scoop right out of the peel when it's done roasting.

thanks for pointing that out--I am the worst at putting together instructions!

Taylor said...

I definitely agree - fall is the BEST time of year for cooking and baking! This looks great...and thanks for the tip on making homemade chicken broth!

Unknown said...

If that doesn't taste like fall on a plate, I don't know what does.

Anonymous said...

This sounds so wonderful! Gorgeous photos, as always.

Aly said...

Wow, that looks so perfect for this month. Thanks!

summer said...

sheena. made this tonight. it was AWESOME. i didn't have any orzo (shoot! they're so cute) so i used whole wheat elbow pasta instead. then it really seemed like macaroni and cheese!! mmmmm.

thank you!! can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

ps. am taking the bonus points for homemade chicken broth. yay!

S said...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=479303261340&set=a.479301951340.291129.700121340

I made your recipe for a luncheon after seeing it on foodgawker.com! It was delicious! I grilled some chicken breast and used sage instead of thyme. It was fantastic! Thanks for posting. Hope my link works for viewing :)

Lilly said...

Hello! I saw this on Foodgawker and had to make it tonight. It was delish. Just a tip though, my butternut took double the indicated time to roast - 1 hr. instead of 30 minutes. Thanks for the yummy recipe!

kate said...

yummy! my butternut also seemed to take longer to roast than suggested. no worries though, we were flexible.