Butternut Squash and Apple Autumn Rice
This Butternut Squash and Apple Autumn Rice is a very simple dish with an unpretentious autumnal flavor profile that can be enjoyed either as a side dish or as a hearty vegan meal.
One of my favorite things about Fall would be the arrival of butternut squash on the market!
I always get super excited when I see them in grocery stores for the first time of the season. Sometimes, though, I get a bit carried away and end up buying a little bit too many… like 4 of them. At once!
So erm, yeah. Expect to see a few recipes involving butternut squash in the next few weeks.
Like this delicious Butternut Squash and Apple Autumn Rice, for instance…
It truly is a simple yet enjoyably tasty rice dish with a totally unpretentious flavor profile that will keep you coming back for more. The combination of the creamy butternut squash and sweet apple, coupled with the crunchy, buttery pumpkin seeds and woodsy notes of the fresh sage really make for a perfect Fall side dish. Needless to say that this would go perfectly well with your favorite game meat!
But, it would also make for a pretty delectable and toothsome vegan meal, if you preferred to steer clear of meat…
The trickiest part in making this dish, me finds, resides in peeling and cubing the butternut squash. If you’ve never done that, you may deem the task to be a little intimidating. If that is your case, take a few minutes to check out this little instructional video on how to easily peel and cut butternut squash that I’ve put together a little while ago.
You’ll see, once you get the hang of it, prepping butternut squash becomes super easy!
Also too, unless you happened to have leftover rice in the fridge, you might want to cook some now, before you go on…
Once your butternut squash has been cubed and rice cooked, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook until soft and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Add your cubed butternut squash and continue cooking for a few minutes, then add the apple juice, deglaze the pan well and decrease heat to medium-low.
Cover the pan loosely and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the squash is tender and all the apple juice has evaporated.
Now add the cooked rice and apple, stir well and continue cooking until the apple and rice are heated through, about 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat source and stir in the pumpkin seeds and chopped sage; serve without delay.
Butternut Squash and Apple Autumn Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice*
- 1 red apple, diced
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook until soft and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cubed butternut squash and continue cooking for a few minutes, then add the apple juice, deglaze the pan well and decrease heat to medium-low. Cover loosely and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the squash is tender and all the juice has evaporated.
- Add cooked rice and apple, stir well and continue cooking until the apple and rice are well heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin seeds and chopped sage; serve without delay.
Notes
Nutrition
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2 Comments on “Butternut Squash and Apple Autumn Rice”
Hi, I’m allergic to sage. Do you have a recommendation on an alternative herb?
Thanks!
I would totally go rosemary!