Forgive me for the ever-so-slightly cheesy title, but every time I thought about roasting some butternut squash yesterday, I got that Verve song stuck in my head. The one we couldn’t stop singing in 1997 despite how depressing it was. It’s basically the “Landslide” of the late 90s.

Thankfully, this butternut symphony was rather rave-worthy. One of my favorite fall flavors besides the ubiquitous apple cider and pumpkin is the delicate notes of butternut squash. It makes a fantastic soup, a fantastic base for hummus, and my favorite preparation, simply seasoned and roasted in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

The roasted butternut was the focal point for a simple lunch. Brown rice cooked in chicken stock and scented with saffron served as the bed on the bottom, then came the squash with super crispy edges, a flurry of snipped chives, and a little chili crisp accentuated with black truffle on top.

Basically, it felt like fall in my house, even when it was 92 degrees outside.

What’s your favorite way to use butternut squash? Also, do you cheat and buy it pre-chopped like I do?