I am the only person in my household who likes pureed butternut squash.

I can kind of get Ryan to eat it in fry form.

I can sort of get Evan to eat a roasted cube or two.

I can NOT get The Husband to stop making faces when he sees it. He's tried it a couple of times and each bite has the same how-in-the-world-do-you-like-that-crap reaction.

I can't get ENOUGH Especially when it's pureed. I call it liquid gold and I damn near lick the blender blades clean when I make it.

I make this dish every couple of weeks and last time I actually asked Ryan to take a bite of pork WITH a smear of butternut squash and he conceded that in fact the combo IS TO DIE FOR! There's just something about the sweetness of the squash mixed with the pork and the spices (cumin and sage especially).

The best part of this meal is that it's really, REALLY simple and has very few ingredients. Here's how I make it...

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, roasted (I have a photo step by step when I posted about making it for baby food)
4 boneless pork chops (4-5 oz each)
2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon oil for frying

Instructions

Roast the squash in a 350-degree oven until the flesh is soft -- click here to see how I did it for baby food.

While the squash is cooking, prepare the pork chops. I like to have them at room temperature for easier pan frying. Pull them out and either sprinkle on the salt and spices or add the spices to a bag, plop in the chops and shake to coat.

Either method works great -- I just wanted to offer an option for those fearful of the sprinkle method.

After the squash has been in the oven for about an hour, pull it out and test the flesh. It should be soft to the touch. Let it rest while you make the pork chops.

Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the pan and oil are hot, add the chops and cook for about 3 minutes a side based on the thickness of the chops. These were neither thick nor thin cut and at about ½ inch thick were cooked perfectly in 6 total minutes.

Now it's time to pull the pork chops out of the pan and let them rest while preparing the squash.

Scoop out the flesh of the squash and place it in a blender or food processor. Pulse with just a pinch of salt. That's all you need! It may take a few scrapes down the sides to get it started but nothing needs to be added to the butternut squash puree -- it is simply perfect just the way it is!

That's it! Now just scoop out ½ cup of puree and top it with the cooked chop!

I served them with simply roasted asparagus. It was just a pretty meal!

I also made some Red Potatoes Roasted With Rosemary and Mustard for The Boys since I knew they wouldn't be devouring the squash. They all took their "try-it bites" and that was it. Sometimes you have to compromise, right?

Here's my estimate on nutritional info for one serving on one chop and ½ cup of squash.

📖 Recipe