I had heard really good things about sweet potato hash that the paleo people had made popular, but a little while back it was 6:00 and I needed to make an easy dinner and I wanted to try it out, but I didn’t have any sweet potatoes.  I tried it with butternut squash and – oh my.  It’s so good!  The smooth, almost creamy texture of butternut squash lends itself really well to this recipe.  It’s comfort food, suitable for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (I’ve had it for all three) but as healthy as it is delicious.  And easy too!  This has become one of my favorite weeknight recipes and I’ll be kind of bummed when summer comes and takes all my winter squash away.

See what I mean about being able to throw this together last minute?  All of this I always have except the butternut squash, which I just happened to have.  But I’ve also done this with whatever veggies I’ve had on hand (shaved asparagus and cherry tomato hash happened recently and was delish).

The food processor makes this come together quickly.  Just peel the squash with a veggie peeler, cut in half, remove seeds and roughly chop into cubes so it will all fit in the food processor.  Then it’s just a matter of combining the rest of the ingredients in a skillet to cook.  (For this picture I forgot to add the garlic and onions, but you can also add them here to save time chopping those as well.)

Topped with a runny egg, yes, please, and thank you.  Oh, and I just recently learned the secret to cooking a runny egg perfectly – put a lid on the pan while it cooks and you don’t need to flip it.  Brilliant.

Butternut Squash Hash (topped with an egg)

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (whatever size you want, you can adjust the other ingredients up or down based on preference)

1/2 onion (about 1/2 cup chopped)

3 cloves garlic

1 T. butter (or fat of choice)

salt and pepper to taste

Egg(s) (however many people you are serving)

Directions

Peel the squash with a veggie peeler, cut in half, and remove seeds with a spoon.  Roughly chop into cubes and place into a food processor.  You can also add the onion and garlic to the food processor if you’d like, or chop by hand.  Pulse until finely chopped, but be careful not to puree.

Heat butter over medium-high heat in a skillet.  When melted, add the vegetables, salt and pepper, and stir.  Cover and let cook, stirring every few minutes.  The squash will be done when it turns bright orange and soft (plus, your kitchen will smell amazing).  When it’s finished, turn off the heat and cover again while you cook your egg.

Everyone has their favorite ways to make eggs, but I like to melt a little butter over medium-high heat in a small pan, let the pan get nice and hot, then carefully crack my egg into the pan and immediately cover.  Check in often, peeking under the lid until the whites have turned opaque.  Then hurry!  Get it off the heat.

Spoon out some hash, top with the egg and voila.  That’s it.  I also usually sauté some greens of some sort as a side.  Spinach is good and only takes about two minutes from start to finish.

Enjoy!  If you make this, let me know how it goes!  I always love hearing your comments and do my best to answer any questions.  xoxo-Katy