Butternut squash fries covered in a rich (but not heavy) blue cheese sauce, this high protein appetizer, snack, or side dish is sure to please!
My sister, niece, and nephew came in town last week to come to the zoo and help me celebrate the last days of me being 25.
Originally, I bought a butternut squash to make fries for Chili Cheese Fries {one of my sis' fave meals I make}.
We had them for dinner the first night they were in town.
I saved some leftover butternut squash and a little chili, so I could take prettier pictures the following day.
Well, after a long day at the Zoo, I couldn't wait for the oven to preheat and bake the squash fries before we ate the chili with some cheese and tortilla chips.
Oops.
I decided that I couldn't waste the squash fries I had already cut, so I went ahead and baked them and vowed to think of something.
And oooooh something I did...
I certainly wasn't prepared for how much I was going to like these.
No idea why not... I mean, I love the Chili Cheese Fries and blue cheese is the bomb so why wouldn't they be good?!
Either way, these knocked my socks off!
And my sister's too.
Seriously though, who doesn't want blue cheese fries that they can actually feel good about eating?!
It's just a veggie + some protein. I want these every day of my life, I tell you.
If you're not a blue cheese fan, just pick a different cheese. I'm sure cheddar would be good!
There's one teeny tiny, hardly worth mentioning problem: Butternut squash can be a little bit of a pain to deal with.
I highly recommend using a good vegetable peeler or you'll be cursing me for suggesting you peel that pesky skin off the squash.
This is hands down my favorite vegetable peeler - mainly for its ability to make butternut squash peeling less miz.
Also, make sure you don't skip the step where you sprinkle the cut squash with salt then blot them with towels.
You want to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible to make them more fry-like.
Be sure to bake them in a single layer and flip halfway through baking time.
Other than that, these are pretty easy to make.
You can even make the fries ahead of time, then reheat them in the oven on 300°F while you are making the cheese sauce.
Blue Cheese Fries
Ingredients
For squash fries:
- 1 medium butternut squash
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
For blue cheese sauce:
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- ⅔ cup blue cheese crumbles divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon water if needed
- 1 green onion chopped {optional}
Instructions
For the squash fries:
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with one teaspoon olive oil. Set aside.
- Peel the butternut squash, and slice into fry shapes. Lay on paper towels and sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon salt.
- When the oven is preheated and the squash fries have released their moisture {the paper towel will be damp}, blot dry. Then put the fries on the baking sheet. Sprinkle fries with garlic powder and remaining salt. Arrange fries on baking sheet in one layer {you might have to do two baking sheets}
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping/stirring them halfway through cooking time.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet.
For the cheese sauce:
- Meanwhile, heat the 2 teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cottage cheese, ⅓ cup of the blue cheese, and lemon juice to the garlic. Stir until the cheese almost melts and combines {the cheese doesn't completely melt}. Add a tablespoon or two of water to help thin out the cheese sauce a little if needed.
- Transfer the fries to a plate and then pour the cheese sauce over the fries. Sprinkle with remaining ⅓ cup blue cheese and green onion {if using}. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Marion
These look delish! (And I am a big fan of blue cheese!) Can't wait to try. Butternut squash is a big pain to peel; but I have found that if you put it whole with the skin on in the oven briefly (10 min?) as the oven heats up, it is way easier to get it peeled. (Don't leave it for too long as it will cook right in the skin more than you want; and be sure to let it cool off for a couple of minutes before peeling as it is hard to handle hot!)
Meme
That is a GREAT tip!! Thanks, Marion! I hate peeling it too haha, so I can't wait to try this!