Baked Rice with Butternut Squash

I drove my caboose out to Jen and Barry's house last weekend and Jen and I made a stellar dinner together with the help of a glass or two of wine. We happily cooked up some fabulous new recipes..this being one of them. I had cooked the squash earlier in the day, so when I showed up at the house I was able to whip up this very tasty rice dish in no time at all, while Jen was working her magic on a savory cauliflower number and a peppery and buttery marinade for the steaks Barry would later grill to perfection.

When the cooking and grilling was complete and wine glasses were refreshed, we all took our seats at the table. Ahh...everything smelled sooo good!

Now, Mr. Noah loves his steak but he took one look at my new rice dish and was adamant that he didn't like it before he even tasted it, so we sold it to him as cheesy rice. Was it a lie? Well, there was some cheese in there - only 1/4 cup, but we used that 1/4 cup to convince him to try it. And guess what? He liked it...he really liked it!

We think you'll like it too!

Baked Rice with Butternut Squash
found at cookinglight.com

One Butternut Squash (about 1-1/2 pounds)
2-1/2 Cups Less-Sodium Chicken Broth
One Cup Water
One Tablespoon Chopped Fresh or One Teaspoon Dried Rubbed Sage
One Teaspoon Olive Oil
One Cup Diced Onion
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
One Cup Uncooked Arborio or other short-grain rice
1/4 Cup Dry White Wine
1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh or 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
Touch of Oil
1/4 Cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan Cheese

Okay...you have two options:

Place squash in crockpot and add one cup water. Turn on high and let it roast for 3 hours. Remove from crockpot and peel off the skin. Remove seeds. Set squash aside.

OR

Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until tender; cool. Peel squash; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Bring broth, water, and sage to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 6 minutes. Add garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add rice; sauté 1 minute. Stir in squash, broth mixture, wine, chopped thyme, salt, and pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place rice mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish lightly coated with oil and cover. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Stir mixture gently. Sprinkle with cheese; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Add liquid if too dry. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

Best when served immediately.