Another Use of Butternut Squash - The Seeds

We love butternut squash and have been growing it for years.  You'll see my many posts and pictures from years past if you search for butternut squash (here's a sample).  This year, now having the time to do more in the kitchen (thanks retirement!), I finally experimented with saving the squash seeds.  Thanks to Mother Earth News (instructions and recipes in the link), the first roasting occurred and it was a huge success.   The process was quite simple:

• Scoop seeds out of squash into a colander (the norm when roasting squash)
• Rinse the seeds removing all pulp
• Spread on a paper-towel on a plate in a single layer to allow to dry for 2-3 days in warm place
• Roast!
• Note:  no need to hull the squash seeds.  Some folks find pumpkin seed hulls tough and inedible.  The squash seeds are lighter and edible.

I roasted mine in a fry pan following the Mother Earth News Spicy recipe.  I warmed the olive oil, spread the seeds in a single layer, then sprinkled with cayenne pepper, paprika, salt and pepper.  The results didn't last very long as hubby and I gobbled them down quickly.  Well, to be honest, mostly I did the gobbling.   Another batch is being fried up today.   The part I like most is the nutrition in squash seeds:

1 cup seeds:  285 calories, 12grams of protein, 12% of your RDA of iron, 34g Carbs, 12g Fat, 4% of your calcium.   Of course, add about 120 calories for the oil they are roasted in.  This is still tremendously good nutrition. 

I'll never compost another squash seed again.