Vegetarian Recipes
Roasted Butternut Squash
https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-butternut-squash/


Learn how to cook butternut squash perfectly every time! Enjoy roasted butternut squash as a simple side dish, or add it to fall soups, pastas & more.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve already made a few batches of butternut squash soup by the time mid-October rolls around. But while butternut squash soup is hands down one of my favorite fall foods, my love for butternut doesn’t end there. When I’m not making soup, I like to simply roast butternut squash. Golden brown, caramelized, and seasoned with salt and pepper, it has a delectable sweet and salty taste and buttery texture. If you’ve never roasted butternut squash before, you have to try it this fall!
Today, I’m sharing my go-to roasted butternut squash recipe. It’s super easy – it requires 4 ingredients (squash, salt, pepper, and olive oil) and 10 minutes of active prep – but it’s delicious nonetheless. It’s good enough to enjoy on its own as a side dish, but it also amps up the fall flavor in all sorts of recipes – bowls, salads, soups, and more! Let’s cook.
How to Cook Butternut Squash
Making roasted butternut squash is easy! Here’s what you need to do:
Start by peeling the squash. Peeling winter squash can be intimidating, but don’t let butternut scare you. The skin is smooth and relatively thin, and it isn’t ridged. To peel it, use a good vegetable peeler, and work downwards from the stem, peeling off long strips. Use short strokes to trim off any remaining skin at the base of the squash. That’s it!
Next, cut the squash. Chop off the stem and slice the squash in half vertically. Set the cut side of the halves facing up, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. If your squash is too hard to safely cut, pop it in the microwave or warm it in the oven for a few minutes until slightly softened.
Discard the seeds, and dice the remaining squash into 1-inch cubes. You might get some funky shapes around the base of the squash, where the seeds were scooped out. Just do the best you can to cut the pieces evenly – the closer they are in size, the more evenly they’ll cook.
Finally, it’s time to bake! Spread the cubed squash in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle it with olive oil, and toss it with generous pinches of salt and pepper (note: a sprinkle of fresh rosemary or fresh thyme at this step would also be delicious). Make sure to leave a little space between each cube – this way, the squash will get nicely crisp and brown in the oven.
Transfer the baking sheet to a 400-degree oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the squash is tender and golden brown. Then, enjoy!
What to Do with Roasted Butternut Squash
Golden brown and caramelized, baked butternut squash is delicious on its own as a simple side dish. Just sprinkle it with chopped parsley, and serve! But your options don’t end there. There are a tons of ways to use roasted butternut squash. Here are just a few of my favorites:
- Add it to an autumn pasta like stuffed shells, orecchiette, or spaghetti.
- Blend it into hummus.
- Stuff it into enchiladas or tacos.
- Toss it into a salad.
- Blend it into soup. Try the Sheet Pan Squash Soup on page 87 of Love and Lemons Every Day!
- Add it to an easy grain bowl with quinoa, greens, your favorite protein, and generous drizzles of tahini sauce.
- Top it onto a burrito bowl with cilantro lime rice, guacamole, pico de gallo or tomatillo salsa, black beans, and chipotle sauce or cilantro lime dressing.
- Or skip the salt and pepper, and puree it into pudding!
Roasted Butternut Squash
Author: Jeanine Donofrio
Recipe type: Side dish
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds scooped, and cubed
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped parsley, optional, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the squash cubes on the baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Roast 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
3.4.3177
Vegetarian Recipes
Lemon Ricotta Pasta


Here’s a quickie recipe for those nights when you just need something fast and delicious. This Lemon Ricotta Pasta is super fast, light, and fresh, which makes it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner during the summer. The bright lemon flavor perfectly compliments the light and creamy ricotta, and the little pops of sweetness from the peas make every bite a little more interesting. Simple, fresh, and easy.
Originally posted 3-4-2011, updated 6-8-2022.
Do I Have to Use Fresh Lemon?
This is one of those recipes where you really do want to use a fresh lemon instead of bottled juice. The zest from the lemon adds a ton of bright, summery lemon flavor to the pasta without making the sauce too sour. We add just a little of the juice to balance the creaminess of the ricotta, but the zest is where you’re getting all that gorgeous sunny lemon flavor!
Not All Ricotta is Created Equal
I find there is quite a bit of variation in the quality of ricotta from brand to brand. Some are smooth, mild, and sweet like fresh milk, while others are bland and grainy. My preferred brand is Galbani, but they didn’t have any at the store when I went, so I got the generic Kroger brand. It was definitely a bit grainy, but the pasta was still quite delicious despite that!
Also, make sure to get whole milk ricotta. Low-fat ricotta just doesn’t hit the same in this recipe.
What Else Can I Add?
This simple pasta is a great jumping-off point for making a more elaborate pasta, if that’s what you’re in the mood for. Try adding some sliced chicken breast, fresh basil, or fresh spinach. Garlic butter shrimp would also go great with this pasta!
What to Serve with Lemon Ricotta Pasta
This pasta is so light and fresh that I suggest keeping any side dishes really simple, light, and fresh as well. I would go with a super simple side salad, or maybe some roasted asparagus and tomatoes.


Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lemon $0.89
- 8 oz. pasta* $0.67
- 1 cup frozen peas $0.50
- 1 clove garlic, minced $0.08
- 1 Tbsp butter $0.11
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta $1.60
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan $0.36
- 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste) $0.02
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste) $0.02
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper (or to taste) $0.02
Instructions
-
Zest and juice the lemon. You’ll need about ½ tsp zest and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.
-
Cook the pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy water from the pot.
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Place the frozen peas in the colander before draining the pasta so the pasta will thaw the peas as it drains.
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Add the butter and minced garlic to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is fragrant.
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Add the drained pasta and peas, and about ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water to the skillet with the butter and garlic. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.
-
Add the ricotta, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon lemon zest to the skillet. Stir until everything is well combined, the residual heat from the skillet and pasta have warmed the ricotta, and the ricotta has formed a creamy sauce. Add more of the warm reserved pasta water if needed.
-
Season the pasta with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pasta – Step By Step Photos
Zest and juice one lemon. You’ll need about ½ tsp of zest and 1 Tbsp juice.
Cook 8oz. pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
Add 1 cup of frozen peas to a colander, then pour the boiled pasta over top to thaw the peas as you drain the pasta.
Add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 clove garlic to a large skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic becomes very fragrant.
Add the still-hot pasta and peas to the skillet along with about ½ cup of the hot reserved pasta water. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.
Add 1 cup whole milk ricotta, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and ½ tsp lemon zest to the pasta. Stir until the ingredients are combined, the residual heat from the pasta and skillet have warmed the ricotta, and the ricotta has turned into a creamy sauce.
Add more of the reserved pasta water if the mixture is too thick or too dry. Season the pasta with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste.
Enjoy the lemon ricotta pasta while still warm!
The post Lemon Ricotta Pasta appeared first on Budget Bytes.
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