Sage Butter Roasted Butternut Squash with Creamy Cheddar Orzo
I love when colder weather starts to set it and everything in the kitchen shifts to warmer spices and cozy dishes. This dish is definitely a new favorite cozy-comfort-go-to! Seriously…it’s vegetarian and even my husband liked it. That’s a *big* win!
First, you’ll melt some butter with fresh sage leaves and smashed garlic cloves. It smells insane and gives the butternut squash a delicious flavor. Then, right as your squash is starting to brown, you’ll start the orzo. The orzo takes 10-15 minutes and is just, wow. Really, really, good.
My husband, who does not like vegetables – I can’t even explain to you how he tries to avoid them – said he loved this dish. He even remarked that the squash was perfect to go with the orzo. I was floored, I tell ya!
The orzo is simple. You chop up an onion, shallot and some garlic. They get sauteed in butter and olive oil. Then you sautee the orzo for 2 minutes, which brings out a nutty flavor (another really nice compliment to the squash). Then, you add white wine (which makes it feel very fancy and a bit like risotto), broth and heavy cream. You pop a lid on and let that simmer for 5 minutes or until the orzo is just cooked. Then, stir in spinach and cheddar cheese and that’s it!
You don’t need anything fancy for this one – I love the Staub everything pan, it has the perfect height walls and a lid for the orzo. But anything that has good walls to sautee in will work!
