Twice Baked Butternut Squash Recipes

TWICE-BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees with the rack in center. Halve squash lengthwise, and remove seeds and fibers. Sprinkle squash halves with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fill a roasting pan with 1/4 inch water. Place squash in pan. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until squash is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer squash to a cool surface, and let cool enough to handle. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.
• Use a spoon to scoop baked flesh out of each half into a large bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch border around six of the halves so they will keep their shape. To the bowl, add sour cream, paprika, chives, and remaining teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix with a handheld electric mixer or potato masher until smooth and well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Fill six squash halves with mixture (discard remaining six empty halves). Sprinkle tops with toasted breadcrumbs. Bake until golden brown and warm throughout, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve.

TWICE-BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH PARMESAN CREAM AND CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut both squash in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Transfer cut side down to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Poke outside of skin all over with a fork, then roast until flesh is very soft, about 1 1/2 hours for large squash and about 1 hour for medium squash.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 cup cream in a medium pot over medium until just beginning to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in 1/4 cup cheese and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and chill until very cold, about 45 minutes (do not freeze).
• Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels, reserving bacon fat in skillet. Let cool, then finely chop.
• Spread 3 Tbsp. sugar in a thin layer in the center of a medium dry skillet. Cook over medium heat, mostly undisturbed (it's ok to swirl pan gently to get sugar to melt evenly), until sugar melts and starts to turn light brown, about 6 minutes. Quickly stir in bacon and hazelnuts and cook, stirring, until coated and melted sugar is chestnut brown, about 1 minute more. Scrape onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread out to cool, then finely chop.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Using a spoon, scoop flesh out of large squash into a large bowl, leaving a 1/2" border around squash shell to help maintain its shape. Transfer large shells to a rimmed baking sheet; arrange a few pieces of crumpled foil around shells to keep them upright. Scoop flesh out of medium shells into same bowl (you should have 6 cups squash); discard medium shells. Using a potato masher or spatula, mix in salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1 Tbsp. reserved bacon fat, and remaining 1 cup cream, 3/4 cup cheese, and 1 Tbsp. sugar until smooth. Fold in 2 Tbsp. chives. Divide filling between large squash shells, then create attractive swoops with a spoon. Bake squash until warmed through, 20-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed or a whisk, whip chilled cream to medium peaks. Chill until ready to use.
• Dollop squash with whipped cream, then top with candied bacon bits and remaining 1 Tbsp. chives. Serve extra candied hazelnut-bacon bits on the side.
• Do Ahead
• Squash shells can be filled (not baked) 2 days ahead; cover and chill.

TWICE-BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CASHEW CHEESE, WALNUTS AND CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Place cashews in a bowl and cover with cool water. Cover and soak in the fridge overnight. Drain the cashews and combine with remaining ingredients in a blender. Purée until completely smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender to create a consistently smooth cheese.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds and stringy bits from around the seeds and discard. Place the squash halves in a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Pour a quarter-inch of water into the pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes, until the squash are easily pierced with a fork.
• Carefully remove squash from oven and allow to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh, leaving the skin intact. Place the scooped squash in a mixing bowl and mash. Mix in half of the chopped walnuts and half the dried cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg and cashew cheese. Divide the mixture among the butternut squash halves.
• In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs, parsley and the rest of the walnuts and cranberries. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top of the butternut squash halves and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve warm.