Who says only potatoes can be twice baked? Not butternut squash, that’s for sure!
Change up your fall side dish with this awesome take on the twice baked potato. Meet my Twice Baked Blue Cheese Butternut Squash. First tweak? Use butternut squash. Totally screams fall. Sweet and creamy. But we can do better than that, can’t we? Uh. Yeah. Add blue cheese and pecans. Flavor will explode in your mouth.
The blue cheese cuts through the sweetness of the squash and the pecans add serious crunch. The best part? The panko top. Buttery and crispy. What more can you ask for?
Want to see how to do it? Let’s get busy.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Wash the outside of the squash. I cheat a little. Okay, maybe a lot. I like my filling to be overflowing, and I guarantee that by roasting an additional squash, but only stuffing one. Slice it in half. Cutting this bad boy is no joke, so please be careful!
Scoop out the seeds. I like to use an ice cream scooper.
Put the squash into a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill the pan 1/4 of the way with water.
Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. The squash will be tender and a fork will come out easily. Reduce the heat to 425 degrees.
Let the squash cool a little, you don’t want to burn yourself. When it is cool enough to handle, scoop out half of the flesh. Put into a large bowl.
Add butter, blue cheese, pecans, and parsley. Give it a taste. If it needs more salt and pepper, add some.
Stuff the filling back into the squash.
In a small bowl, mix together panko crumbs, melted butter, and parsley. I like to add a touch of salt and pepper too.
Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes. The crumbs will be golden brown and the squash will be hot all the way through.
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