Chile-Rubbed Butternut Squash Steaks with Ranch Dressing (Recipe #133)

Yes, butternut squash steaks are a thing and they are amazing. This recipe for a butternut squash steak was amazing and simple! It did not take a long time to prepare and it only called for a few ingredients!

I started by making my spice rub, which consisted of oil, sugar, paprika, salt, chile powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Then, I prepared my butternut squash. I started by peeling them and cutting it in half where the neck of the butternut squash meets the bulb base. I diced the bulb half for another use. For the other part of the squash, I cut it in half and then I cut down the butternut squash ¾’’ away from the center cut. I did this on both halves so it provided me with 2 even steaks. I cut slits into both the top and bottom of the squash in a grid-like pattern. I rubbed the squash on both sides with the spice rub and popped it in the oven. After it was done roasting (only about 15-20 minutes), I tossed the steaks in the pan to sear both sides for about 3 minutes. This lets the sides start to brown and start to caramelize. 

These steaks were really amazing! I loved the flavor of the spice rub and how perfectly they were cooked. It really helps not to over-roast the squash, so that it still has a bit of resistance when using a fork before putting it in a pan to sear. We served the steaks with ranch and the flavors went really well together. I would love to experiment with these steaks more because they were just delicious. I feel that these would be really great with a maple glaze or brown sugar rub. I do highly recommend this recipe just the way it was written!

Taste: 10/10

Level of difficulty: 1/5

Notes for next time: These were delicious! I wonder how other seasonings would fare on a butternut squash steak?