Thursday, July 19, 2012

Squash that Craving



Sweet Potatoes used to be a staple side dish in my house (with some butter and brown sugar of course!), but we all know that potatoes of all varieties are among the veggies that are off limits on a low carb diet; however, butternut squash is not, and if I didn't tell you otherwise, you would swear this butternut squash casserole was actually made with sweet potatoes (if you get a sweet butternut squash, that is!)- Make this for thanksgiving and I promise people won't know the difference- my entire extended family loved it, and they generally scoff at our strange foods! The recipe is super simple and delicious, and only has 3 ingredients! The amounts of each will completely depend on your taste buds and the size of the squash you get- all you need is 1 large butternut squash (or more if you want to make a larger casserole, Walden Farms pancake syrup, and cinnamon- it's that easy! Just roast the squash in the oven at about 450 degrees until softened (about an hour), then puree in a food processor with as much cinnamon and syrup as you'd like! Now, I could eat it just like this, but if you're feelin' frisky, feel free to transfer it to a pan and bake it in the oven again to get a crispy crusty layer on top, like a true sweet potato casserole. (you can even add some mini marshmallows- I won't tell!) The best part is the average size Butternut Squash has around 500 calories, so your entire casserole is about that amount (unless you used more than 1 obviously!)- If that seems like a lot, you can add some pumpkin to the mix- it's not quite as sweet, so you might need more syrup to balance out the tangy flavor of the pumpkin, but it will make for a creamy consistency!

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2 comments:

  1. Looks amazing....have you ever thought of doing it with Kabocha Squash. I'm a regular eater of sweet potatoes....but when I'm cutting carbs, I use the kabocha....the consistency and texture is much like the S.P.

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  2. I've actually tried it with kabocha before. I like the sweetness of butternut, but both work just fine!

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