Twice Baked Butternut Squash

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Twice Baked Butternut Squash is a twist on the twice baked potato. The sweet squash is combined with prosciutto, goat cheese, and shallots then topped with Gruyere cheese for a truly scrumptious side dish.

So, I had this butternut squash in the pantry. It’s been there an embarrassingly long time. I’m not going to lie to you. But it’s a butternut squash. I mean, don’t they last a while in the pantry? Does anyone really know how long they last in the pantry?

Of course you knew I was going to look this up.

After curing the squash, which is leaving it to dry in 80 to 85 F temps for 10 to 14 days, the squash can last 2 to 3 months if stored in a cool and dry place, like a pantry. And away from fruits that produce that ethyl whatever stuff that makes things ripen faster. Y’all know what I’m talking about it.

So, I don’t feel so bad that my squash was in the pantry for a while. A long while. Long enough to make me question the edible-ness of the squash. Thankfully nothing started to form on the skin. That’s the first hint your squash is going south. And not in the Mason Dixen way.

Also, soft spots and even mold growing on the skin is a good hint, too. However, you can wipe it down with some water and bleach mixture to keep that mold from forming. Just be sure you wash the squash really well before you cook and eat it. Yes, I know you’re not going to eat the skin. At least I hope you’re not going to eat it. But even if you’re not, the bleach might leach into other parts of your dish if you don’t clean it off the skin. Just saying.

I didn’t want to simply roast the squash. I wanted to do something else with it. So, I thought about the cinnamon and brown sugar thing we usually do with acorn squash. Then I thought about cubing it and cooking it with some pecans and maple. That does sound really good, though, doesn’t it? 

Then I saw a post about a twice baked butternut squash on Pinterest and that got me thinking. 

Twice baked potatoes have cheese, bacon, and onions in them. Some sour cream, too, if you’re like me. It adds to that creamy tang factor I love with twice baked potatoes or loaded potatoes. So, tang. We need some goat cheese. And this was super tangy and delicious goat cheese. Oh me. I didn’t use it all which was a plus for me. Meant I had goat cheese nibbles for the rest of the dinner cooking time. 

Bacon? Nah. I wanted the whole pork and salt, but not from bacon. I had some prosciutto in the fridge. That’s the ticket! I sliced and diced it up and it was the perfect amount of rich and salt that was needed for this twice baked butternut squash.

Green onions were not in the fridge. So, what to do? What do I have? Regular onions? Too much onion and sharp flavor. I wanted something subtle that would play well with the other ingredients I had in there already. SHALLOTS! We have those on hand in case the hubs wants to cook. For some reason, he always wants shallots in every dish he makes. I’m not complaining.

Okay. I had all my filling items but what to top it off with? I mean, you must have that cheesy ooey gooey topping for this twice baked butternut squash dish to really be successful, right? Cheddar? Nah. I would put that on there if this was a regular potato. I had Swiss cheese. Too… Swiss? 

We had a conversation about me getting Gruyere. I thought I grabbed some. The hubs thought I grabbed some. But I searched that fridge and the cheese drawer and the cheese compartment in the door. Nothing. Seriously? I could have sworn I grabbed some during our cheese trip to Wegmans!! I mean, we splurged on the truffle cheese from Italy. Why not regular old Gruyere??

 

Alas. I guess I didn’t get some Gruyere.

And then I found that half a piece I had from another recipe I made recently. SCORE! Gruyere is super creamy and has a deliciously different taste that wouldn’t overpower the rest of the filling ingredients in the twice baked butternut squash.

These weren’t as big as they look. The squash itself was only about 12 inches long and maybe 6 inches around? Not as big as most of those I’ve seen at the store this season. I’m not complaining. I wouldn’t mind a larger squash but not for this recipe. 

I scooped out most of the flesh and mashed it a little in the bowl. Then I added in the prosciutto and goat cheese. And more goat cheese. And I’m looking in that bowl thinking, “This isn’t enough filling. I need more ingredients, but what to add?” That’s when I grabbed the shallots and went to town on a large one. And I’m glad I did. It’s the perfect onion flavor that’s subtle enough for this butternut squash recipe.

The squash makes 4 good sized servings for the one we purchased. You could squeak out 6 maybe, but some will have more filling than others. And that filling right there? That’s one flavor packed mouthful of absolutely fabulous! Or Ab Fab. For those in the know.

 

Okay. Don’t judge me on the steak!

That’s a partial piece of a leftover piece of steak the hubs grilled. It was delicious the day of. And well, still delicious. I’m not going to lie. I nibble a few pieces before the photo shoot. Because steak. Who can resist steak? Oh hush you veg type people!! I’m asking the meat eaters. Not offense, though. I’m all about a good veggie meal, too.

Just not today. But, in actuality, you could make a veggie meal out of this. Just omit the prosciutto. Use some turkey bacon or facon bacon. Or even some veggie sausage or chorizo. That would be good, too. You see? There I go with the chorizo again! You need to read yesterday’s post if you haven’t and you’ll understand that comment. 

 

Just look at that slice right there!!

You can see all the prosciutto, goat cheese, and shallot goodness right there. All top with that melted blanket of Gruyere cheese. There’s flecks of fresh black pepper in there. We put pepper on everything. Twice. We love pepper. Feel free to omit if you don’t. 

When you’re scooping out, just make sure you don’t take too much meat out. I probably could have taken a little more, but I undercooked mine. I thought FOR SURE they would be done in 40 minutes but no. They were not. 

The time in the recipe card takes that into consideration, but if you’re unsure grab a fork and do a twist test. Don’t just stab it. That was my mistake. Do the twist test and stab the edge with the fork then twice to see if easy to pull away from the skin. Then you know it’s finished and ready to scoop, stuff, and bake again.

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