Seasoned Butternut Squash Steaks with Roasted Broccoli and Risotto

The following recipe and photography for this post were provided by local blogger Abby Thome of The Thome Home.

Squash all of the doubtful thoughts that creep into your mind when the main component of a recipe is a vegetable. Don’t think to yourself, “Where is the meat?!” or assume that you’ll be left hungry if the meal set in front of you is vegetarian. In our home, we have a mix of meat-eaters and plant-based eaters. Nothing, and I mean nothing satisfies me more than creating a vegetarian dish that leaves a lasting impression on an avid meat eater. This dinner does just that! It satisfies, surprises and fills every inch of your belly with the flavors that are so familiar, yet new.

Squash steaks are a fun way to incorporate a hearty portion that resembles what would traditionally be a cut of meat or fish. In this recipe, I used butternut squash. Seasoned and cooked in the oven, these orange beauties drink up every ounce of seasoning and take on a buttery-sweet profile that melts in your mouth. I paired the butternut squash steaks with a roasted garlic and citrus risotto, but if you are short on time, and pair them with roasted potatoes for a meal made exclusively in the oven!

How to Prepare a Butternut Squash Steak

Ingredients

• 1 Butternut Squash, with a long neck
• Seasoning of choice (see seasoning recipes below)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spritz with nonstick spray.
3. Peel the skin off of the entire butternut squash.
4. With a sharp knife, carefully cut off the bottom of the squash (the bulb that contains the seeds) and set to the side
5. Stand the neck of the squash upright, and cut into 1/4” slices – going top to bottom lengthwise. (This should create 3-4 squash steaks.)
6. Place squash steaks onto the baking sheet and season both sides liberally with seasonings of choice.
7. Bake at 375°F for 40-50 minutes until the squash has caramelized slightly and is tender throughout.
8. Try out both of the flavor combinations below to create the most delicious squash steaks, using Heinen’s incredible Two Brothers pre-made seasonings.

Click Here to Print the Recipe for Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Steaks.

How to Season Butternut Squash Steak

Garlic Herb Butter Seasoning

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. Two Brothers All Purpose Seasoning *Includes garlic.
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. thyme, finely chopped

Sweet + Smokey Seasoning

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. Two Brothers Sweet & Smokey Seasoning
• 2 tsp. brown sugar

Instructions

1. For whichever flavor profile you choose, mix ingredients in a bowl and brush the squash steaks generously on both sides prior to baking.

Click Here to Print the Recipe for Butternut Squash Steak Seasonings.

What to Pair with Butternut Squash Steak

Roasted Broccoli

Have you ever roasted broccoli before? Beware, once you do, it will rapidly become a side dish you constantly crave. The is broccoli is charred slightly, which deepens the flavor. It has become the most requested vegetable in our home, to the point where our plates are filled to the brim with this drool-worthy side.

Ingredients

• Fresh Broccoli Florets
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spritz with nonstick spray.
3. Wash broccoli florets, and pat dry with a paper towel.
4. Place broccoli florets onto the baking sheet, drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a good pinch of kosher salt and ground pepper.
5. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, or until the tops become crisp and the bottoms caramelize a bit.

Click Here to Print the Recipe Roasted Broccoli.

Roasted Garlic and Citrus Risotto

If you have an hour to spare at the stovetop, pour yourself a glass of wine and roll up your sleeves to make a homemade risotto that is so impressive everyone will want to kiss the cook!

Risotto takes time, yes. However, the process is excessively simple and extremely monotonous, patience is a virtue and yields the creamiest, most decadent risotto that you can serve alongside an endless array of meat and seafood. Let’s do this!

Ingredients

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 32-50 oz. low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 3 lemons, zested and juiced
• Kosher salt
• Ground pepper
• Entire bulb of roasted garlic
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Instructions

1. On the stovetop, warm a Dutch oven or in a pot over medium heat.
2. Finely chop one onion
3. In the pot, add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and the onion, sauté the onion for 5 minutes until it is translucent
4. Add 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice
5. Stir the rice with the onions for 3-4 minutes, allowing the rice to get warm and toasted. This recipe will take 45-60 minutes total, and you must stir the entire time. Grab a stool and a glass of wine and play some tunes to kill the time.
6. Once the rice has toasted slightly, you’ll start to add the chicken stock 1/2 a cup at a time. Each time you add stock, continue to stir until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid you have added.
7. Once the liquid is absorbed you had another 1/2 cup.
8. For every 2 cups of liquid added to the rice, add a generous pinch of Kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper. The goal is to season as you go.
9. Continue this process for 45-60 minutes, or until you are able to take a bite of the rice and it has the slightest bite left to it (barely al dente).
10. At this point, your risotto is thick and creamy. Turn off the heat.
11. Add the parmesan cheese, lemon juice and zest, roasted garlic and unsalted butter
12. Stir to combine and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Click Here to Print the Recipe for Roasted Garlic and Citrus Risotto.