Butternut Squash Quesadillas

Fall, what a beautiful time of the year! The leaves are changing, the air is crisp and sweaters again become a part of our repertoire. In this time of the year food gets a bit richer, a bit warmer and a whole lot heartier. This is our first year planting butternut squash. We learned they grow long tentacles (similar to pumpkins) and sprout gorgeous large yellow blossoms that give way to cute green striped gourds that mature into stocky golden orange squashes. Their tentacles shoot little roots into the ground to help nourish the plant and keep it stable. They’ll grow close to the ground or you can encourage them to climb up a fence if their expansiveness is too much of a nuisance. You'll know they’re ready to harvest when their stalks turn brown and their green stripes have disappeared. They can be cured and left for months, so you can enjoy these nutrient packed vegetables for months.

Butternut squash is incredibly healthy and delicious. They’re packed with antioxidants and vitamins perfect for boosting your immune system.

Cut the butternut sideways so that both sides are a mirror image of each other, use a spoon to carve out the seeds (you can save these seeds to roast later if you’d like). Slather the flesh with a bit of butter or oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and place flesh side down in a preheated 350° oven for 30 mins or until soft. After doing this your butternut squash is a perfect side dish. If you want to take it further you can follow my quesadilla recipe below. There are a myriad of options though once baked- another favorite of mine is to toss it with sautéed mushrooms and pasta or as a ravioli stuffing.

Here’s my quesadilla recipe:

Time - 10 mins (add 30 for baking the squash)

Ingredients:
1 baked butternut squash (see instructions in description for method)
2 garlic cloves
5 sage leaves
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
10 small corn tortillas
1/4 lb sliced Swiss or cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Melt half of the butter in heavy bottom sauté pan. Add chopped/grated garlic and chopped sage, sauté until aromatic. Use a fork to smash up the butternut squash (leave out the skin) then add to sauté pan. Sauté for 5 mins with salt and pepper. Remove seasoned butternut squash.

You can use the same pan to make the quesadillas.

Melt a little bit of butter or oil into pan to coat it. Put in tortilla, put a slice of cheese on top then with a spoon put a teaspoon of squash, spread it evenly over half the tortilla.

Don’t put too much in otherwise it’ll spill out, instead use the cheese on the edge as glue, as you fold the tortilla over to create your quesadilla. Serve with sour cream and enjoy.