Yummy recipe to share - BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND NOODLES WITH COCONUT, LIME AND CILANTRO

[Luv to Cook]

Hi All,

Found this on epicurous and made it for dinner tonite. It was quick, easy and really delicious, so I thought I would share. I changed a few things: roasted the squash and onions and doubled the lime juice and served it over brown rice.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND NOODLES WITH COCONUT, LIME AND CILANTRO SAUCE
This lovely and satisfying main course uses light coconut milk, Thai red curry paste and jalapeño chili for lots of flavor and spice.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 cup canned vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chili
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup canned light unsweetened coconut milk*
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste*
12 ounces dried futonaga udon noodles (oriental-style spaghetti)* or linguine
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

*Available at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add squash; sauté 4 minutes. Add broth, jalapeño and garlic; bring to boil. Cover; cook until squash is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, lime juice and curry paste. Simmer uncovered until squash is tender and liquid is slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain noodles. Return to pot. Add squash mixture and cilantro to noodles; toss to blend. Serve.


Serves 6.

Per Serving: calories, 337; total fat, 7 g; saturated fat, 3 g; cholesterol, 2 mg.

Bon Appétit
May 1998

Enjoy!
Anita

[KValley]

Anita,

Thank you! This looks wonderful. I don't want to have to buy red curry paste, so I am thinking Garlic-Chili paste and not including the jalapeno. Do you think this would work?

And with spelt fettucine- mmm mmm

[Luv to Cook]

KValley,

I checked the back of my red curry paste and it is mostly made of chili and garlic...has some lemongrass, ginger, and onions as well...so if you have any of that kicking around you may want to add it. Sounds like the Garlic-Chili paste would work....BUT, I really, really love the red curry paste...I think it adds a flavor very different than the garlic chili paste...so you may think about getting some!

Anita

[Terrytx]

This is absolutely delicious! Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[DmOrtega]

This is very good. I roasted the squash ahead of time, so putting it together was quick. It tasted good over pasta, but rice would work as well.

[JennieL]

How do you "roast" squash? Whole or cut up?? Temp?

[DmOrtega]

Originally posted by JennieL
How do you "roast" squash? Whole or cut up?? Temp?

I cut the squash in half, lengthwise. You can also have this done at the grocery store. That saves time later.

Scoop out the seeds. Drizzle on a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet and put onto the middle rack in the oven. Roast at 500 degrees until you can put a knife thru the squash easily. About 40 - 60 minutes.

Cool and scoop out of the skins to use in any recipe or eat as is. You can roast all vegtables this way. Smaller cuts will cook faster. Like asparagus or eggplant slices. Watch closely.

[greta]

anita,
thank you so much for posting this recipe!
i made it last night and it was a big hit. i roasted the squash in the oven, which made the prep even easier.
i highly recommend this dish. QUICK and DELICIOUS!
greta

[mmtibbs]

Just returned from Henry's with the ingredients I need for this recipe.....I'll post in a few hours about the results.

[Luv to Cook]

Isn't it great! I made the sauce tonite as well. I didn't use the butternut squash, but threw some tofu, snow peas, broccoli and peppers in instead. Topped with some bean sprouts....really a great dish.

I am glad you guys enjoyed it!

Anita

[mmtibbs]

Oh my, oh my.

We have very happy tummies at our house tonight! This is a great dish for those you like complex, and pretty spicy flavors. I used the jalapeno as listed, but would decrease it a bit next time.

We had this as a main dish--I was happy, but although DH called this a "repeater", he would have been happier if this was a side to a meat/fish entree. I'd be glad to comply, but darned if I'm stumped as to what to serve with this dish....the flavors are very hmmm, assertive. If you have any thoughts, I'd be interested.

[JulieAnn]

This is also a thumbs up recipe for us thogh I tried my best to sabotage the recipe! --- no Thai curry paste, no jalapeno, no lime just lemon juice. We both wanted a little more sauce so I added more veggie broth. I love Thai curry paste so I know it would have been even better with that. I also did not know what to make with it, was tired, the kids crying, husband working late so this is all we had. Thanks KValley for the recipe.

[JHolcomb]

Oh wow. I was a bit nervous about trying this recipe and almost substituted chickpeas or tofu for the squash,but decided that I needed to branch out. The butternut squash is really excellent in this recipe. I served it over leftover jasmine rice. Yum! I probably won't make this for dinner, but will make a big batch for lunches (which is what I did this time). I might experiment with pureeing this into a soup. I think that would be quite delicious.

[greysangel]

I'm just kicking this back up as a lot of people were looking for butternut squash and pumpkin recipes. I finally got around to trying this and it was excellent!!! I served it over couscous which was great as the couscous really absorbed the wonderful flavors of the sauce. I omitted the oil and this is super healthy! 1 pt per serving plus whatever grain you are going to throw it on top of. A hopeful repeat!

JeAnne

[kima]

This recipe looks amazing! I just hate peeling butternut squash. Should I roast it ahead f tme. For those of you who didn't-any tips on peeling the darn stuff?

[mochadelsol]

Thanks JeAnne for bringing this one out. I didn't get it back in March. This sounds great, I agree though that cutting off the peel is a drag. But possible easier if roasted? I love butternut. Has anyone tried the Butternut chili, it's really tasty

[MelissaAS]

I had printed this out ages ago and finally tried it- YUM! A few substitutions: Curry Powder for Red Curry Paste, whole can of coconut milk to make more sauce, extra squash and served it over whole wheat angel hair. It's been a yummy lunch this week.

As for the peeling issue- I bought the already peeled and cleaned halves- lazy, I know but made it more pleasant! Thanks for sharing this one- next time I'm moving on to the one with shrimp from CL!

Melissa

[RGreen]

I read that you should microwave winter squashes, like butternut, for 2 minutes on full power before you try to peel and cut them. That should soften them up and make it easier. I haven't tried it yet myself.

[donleyk]

I just wanted to say thanks for digging this one up. I have squash and cilantro in the fridge I want to use up and now I know how I am going to do that!

[grelli2]

We loved this also. It made great leftovers. Will definitely repeat. thanks for posting!

Kelli

[Chris415]

This has been sitting in my "to try" pile for, hmm . . ., I guess close to two years now! But I finally made it Friday night and am wondering what took me so long! Oh it was yummy! I followed the directions pretty much to a T, although I used one whole jalapeno and was rather generous with the red curry paste. I also realized as I sat down I forgot the cilantro! But it was still great. I served it on rice noodles, but next time I'll try either udon or another heavier wheat pasta.

Another repeater!
Chris