Fried Butternut Squash- Just Like Mom Used to Make

Fried butternut squash with rice and green beans

Squash is #1 on my list of items to purchase at the local farmer’s market in the fall and winter. The Waverly Farmer’s Market, in Baltimore, runs all year round, albeit in the winter months, they are more crafts than produce. Anywho, butternuts are my all-time favorite of the squash family. I cook it the way my mother always made it when I was growing up- breaded and fried! It’s one of the few things I actually fry. (I’m not a big fan of oily/greasy foods.) Squash are also wonderful steamed, sliced in a vegetable gratin, and they’re simply fantastic in lasagna or curries.

Preparations

So here’s what you do-

Get a butternut squash, chop the ends off, and peel the entire thing with a vegetable peeler. (For heaven’s sake, do not use a knife to peel it! They’re tough suckers. You can hurt yourself trying to peel it with a knife. Plus, the skin comes off easier with a peeler.) When finished peeling the butternut, seed the squash and slice it into ¼-inch to ½-inch slices. Do not slice any thicker or the squash will not cook thoroughly.

Prepare two bowls (or one bowl and one plate). In the first bowl, scramble two eggs (you may need more eggs later depending on the size of your squash). In the second bowl (or plate), make Italian-seasoned bread crumbs using the following ingredients (do it to taste): fresh or dried bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, and a few shakes of garlic powder; mix until combined. Try to make about 1-1 ½ cups of the seasoned breadcrumbs.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle

In a large skillet, add about ¼-inch of vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium.

To prepare squash for frying, first dip both sides of a slice in the egg then dip it into the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with remaining squash slices. When the oil is ready, add the prepared butternut slices to the oil (as many as you can fit easily into the skillet; do not overlap). Fry until slightly darker than golden on each side. 

NOTE: If you have any leftover seasoned breadcrumbs, use them to fry up other vegetables like sliced zucchini or yellow squash. Although I don’t eat meat any longer, the crumbs would also be good for breaded pork chops.