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Spanish Butternut Squash “Rice” with Ham

Okay, I’m officially obsessed with my Inspiralized rice. And so is Lu. The other night,...

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Okay, I’m officially obsessed with my Inspiralized rice. And so is Lu. The other night, it was an end-of-the-week, “what can we pull together for dinner?” sort of night. The fridge was looking bare (well, bare for me!), but I had plenty of spiralize-able veggies, including butternut squash.

I saw chorizo, olives and half a yellow onion and offered to make “Spanish Butternut Squash Rice with Chorizo.” Totally up Lu’s Latin-American alley- plus, as of late, he thinks my Inspiralized rice is “revolutionary.” Actually, he told me that it’s even more mind-blowing than zucchini noodles. I don’t know if I buy that, but I’m definitely going to post up more Inspiralized rice recipes, since they are just that good.

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While you could swap in chorizo for the ham here, I think the ham is easier, because it doesn’t need any additional cooking – just heat it up with the rice in the pan and it’s a quicker, easier meal!

These one pot dishes are ideal for those of you with small kitchens or limited countertop space. Literally, you just keep adding spices and ingredients into a saucepan or skillet, and you’ve got yourself a n impressive, healthy, low-cal and low-carb meal – in minutes!

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The Adobo spices in this really give this dish an authenticity and the manzanilla olives add a saltiness that complements the simple taste of the butternut squash. The chicken broth brings everything together, not only adding a fragrance to the dish, but creating a creamy consistency as the squash absorbs the broth and it reduces.

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If you’re a vegetarian, easily swap in vegetable broth and replace the ham with pinto beans.

Since peeling butternut squash takes a little extra time (it’s a tough veggie to peel!), I recommend doing that early in the day (or even on a Sunday night), in preparation to make this recipe. Or, you can make the actual rice and place it in a plastic bag or container for the week. So much easier than 30-40 minutes of making rice!

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I’m happy to have this healthy alternative to rice, because, in all honesty, I always mess up rice! Actually, my mother introduced me to the quick 60-second individual cups of brown rices during college, and they were a dream.

The consistency of this Inspiralized Rice is crazy similar to regular rice – just a quarter of the calories and carbs! Plus, it doesn’t require waiting for water to boil, rice cookers or anything fancy like that.

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What do you think of this rice? Have you tried it yet? What’s your favorite rice dish?

 

Spanish Butternut Squash “Rice” with Ham

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 butternut squash peeled, Blade C
  • 1 tsp Adobo seasoning
  • 1.5-2 tbsp tomato paste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch of saffron leaves
  • 1/3 cup chopped manzanilla olives
  • 1/2 cup cubed ham
  • 1.5 cups chicken broth low-sodium

Instructions

  • Take the butternut squash noodles and place them in a food processor. Pulse until chopped into small rice-like bits. This may take many batches (you don't want to crowd the food processor). When done, set aside.
  • In a large saucepan, add in the olive oil. Once the oil heats, add in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Let cook for 30 seconds and then add in the onion. Cook the onion for 2 minutes or until it begins to soften.
  • Add in the butternut squash "rice," Adobo, tomato paste, saffron and season with salt and pepper. Stir continuously until tomato paste soaks into the rice. Then, add in the olives and ham. Stir to combine and then add in the 1 cup of the chicken broth.
  • Stir the mixture and let chicken broth cook and reduce. Once reduced, add in another 1/2 cup. Once that 1/2 cup reduces, taste to see if the consistency is right (should be slightly soft yet still firm). If it needs to cook longer, add 1/4 cup more of broth.
  • Once done, divide into four bowls and enjoy!

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New Post! Blueberry coconut chia pudding --> http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2014/01/blueberry-coconut-chia-pudding/ …

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New Post! Blueberry coconut chia pudding --> http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2014/01/blueberry-coconut-chia-pudding/ …

New Post! Blueberry coconut chia pudding --> http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2014/01/blueberry-coconut-chia-pudding/ …

 

with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • I didn't have any butternut squash so used sweet potato....also threw in some roasted tomatoes instead of the paste, had it for breakfast and it was a "party in m mouth"...thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. Can't wait to try it with the squash!!
  • あけまして おめでとうございます!!! This is what Japanese is should be between the New Year. Holidays in Japan. On the morning of the New Year’s day, the whole family get together and wish one another good health and to celebrate the coming of a new year by drinking a special kind of rice wine called "otoso". The dishes,we prepare for the NewYear’sholidaysarecalled "osechi". Most Japanese visit Shinto shrines or Buddist temples. We pray to the deities that we will live safely through the coming year. These New Year visits to shrines and temples are called "hatsumode". We, adults give "otoshidama-a" New Year’s present- to children. In most cases, it’s money. This is thought as a gift from the gods to encourage children to do their best. いつも ありがとう。感謝!!! Ryoma
  • Your recipes are really great. Truly. But, please stop with all the bolding/highlighting of words when you write. Please. It's too much. And distracting.
  • I am seriously not good at rice either, so I'm loving this butternut-full alternative!! I would definitely be happy eating a big bowl of this.
  • Thought this idea was genius since your PARMESAN SQUASH RICE RISOTTO recipe. Have you tried to make zucchini more "rice" like?
    • Nigel - unfortunately, zucchini has too high of a water content, it isn't as effective! I'm glad you like the recipe :)
  • Wow! This looks so good! Your photography is beautiful, by the way. You should write a post on how you photograph your food.
    • Sarah - thanks so much! I've actually done that: http://www.inspiralized.com/2013/09/20/the-obligatory-food-photography-blog-post/
  • I would like to request photos of the cooking process. I made this last night but misunderstood something. I realized I had no idea at each step in the process if I was on track or not. You've got a lot of great photos of the finished product, but it would be nice to see the steps along the way. Also, a few more details in the recipe listing would be great. For example, I added 1/2c of broth, but it in no way covered all of the squash. That's when I realized I had no idea how this was supposed to play out. In real rice it needs to be covered to soak & plump up. But I had added 1/2 cup of liquid to maybe 3 cups of squash? Was that the right ratio? How is it supposed to look? How much time does it take to absorb the liquid? Details like this really help. Finally, I would love some nutritional value. I believe that butternut squash is healthier than rice... but some stats would be helpful. Especially since some squashes/veggies seem like they may be high in carbs themselves. A potato for sure, right? Anyway, a few more details would really be helpful! Thanks!
    • Sorry to hear that you found it difficult! I will try to do more process shoots moving forward! Thanks for the suggestions.
  • What is Adobo seasoning? thanks xx
  • The instructions call for adding red pepper flakes in a step but they're not listed in the ingredients. Am making this lovely dish now (veganizing it) and will be conservative with red pepper flakes, but you'll want to edit the recipe.
  • Made it with Lightlife veggie ham and Not Chick'n broth, and let it rest for a while so flavors could develop. Very nice, and will make it again!
  • I haven't been able to spiralize butternut squash. Too hard. Read somewhere it needs to be cooked before hand, which makes a lot of sense to me. Not sure for how long since it's a cylindrical piece roughly 4 or 5 inches long. Any suggestions? Thanks
    • IT doesn't need to be cooked beforehand! Watch my YouTube videos for instructional videos!
    • I have the 4-blade spiralizer and made this tonight. I had to quarter my (large) butternut squash to get it to spiralize in the 4-blade because it doesn't do large veggies as well as the tri-blade. So if you have a 4-blade, cut it into smaller pieces and it works great!!!
  • I made this tonight - it was awesome! The husband went back for more, which is rare. I'm hoping that there are still two portions for tomorrow - will try to reheat in the microwave or the oven - has anyone reheated this? I followed the instructions exactly, and it was awesome. Husband wants me to add green peppers or spicy peppers next time, which I'll add with the onions. So far, Ali, all your recipes are winners! THANK YOU!!!