Reporter Food: Butternut Squash Spirals w/Goat Cheese

(Crystal Proxmire, July 23, 2017)

Sometimes to keep things interesting I like to buy something at the grocery store that I’ve never had before or something I disliked in the past, so I could have the challenge of figuring out how to use it.

This weekend that item was a package of pre-cut butternut squash noodles (or spirals). My only recollection of squash was in ravioli and I was rather indifferent to that. But these pre-cut noodles were great. Not just great, but impressive enough that I may have them regularly.  As my taste has grown I find I don’t really like pasta noodles that much anymore.  So these squash spirals could be a great replacement.

I looked for recipes online but suggestions were all over the place. Apparently these cheerfully orange veggie strings are good for everything from sweet to savory.

So I decided to let my kitchen be my guide and ended up with something so good that I figured I should share.

I cooked the spirals in a pan with butter and lemon pepper.  I added some dried green onions and let the noodles soften and slightly brown.  Then I turned off the heat and added in crumbled goat cheese, and stirred until the noodles were lightly coated with the cheese.

It looked beautiful on the plate and was so rich that even a small amount felt like a grand serving. Texture-wise it was similar to a good hash brown cheesy bake.  The second day I made this again and this time I added cinnamon and chili powder.  That added a whole new layer to the flavor.  Both ways were delicious.

I presume this idea could just be a starting point for others.

For more Reporter Food columns go to http://oaklandcounty115.com/category/blogs/food-blogs/.