Butternut Squash Rice with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, and Grated Egg
Try this Butternut Squash Rice with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, and Grated Egg recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Butternut Squash Rice with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, and Grated Egg recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0.28 g
- Cholesterol 106 mg
- Fat 2.6525 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 3.145 g
- Saturated Fat 0.81675 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (25g)
- Sodium 49.4201432291667 mg
- Sugar 0.28 g
- Trans Fat 0.463 g
- Calories 39 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the butternut squash noodles into a food processor and pulse until rice-like. Set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the bacon. Cook the bacon for 7 minutes or until crispy, flipping halfway through. When done, transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
- Immediately add in the onions to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes or until caramelized and starting to brown. Set aside on a plate.
- Immediately add in the butternut squash rice and season with garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir and pour in the chicken broth. Let cook for 7 minutes or until rice softens and then stir in the cooked onions and crumble in the bacon. Cook for 1 more minute or until heated through.
- Divide the rice mixture into bowls. Grate ½ egg over each bowl and serve.
The Mechanics of Vegetable Rices
Unlike standard grains, squash-based substitutes possess high water content and lack starches that swell uniformly. Pulsing peeled squash in a food processor breaks the cell walls, releasing moisture quickly upon heating. When raw vegetable rice hits a hot pan without sufficient liquid regulation, it steams rather than softens properly. Adding low-sodium chicken broth introduces moisture gradually, letting the vegetable absorb flavor while steam cooks the interior. Maintain medium-high heat during this phase to evaporate excess water before the texture turns mushy.
Controlling Onion Browning and Bacon Fat
Rendering bacon over medium-high heat for seven minutes extracts liquid fat essential for flavoring the pan. Transferring the crispy bacon leaves behind rendered lipids that conduct heat efficiently for the onions. Onions require ten minutes of steady heat to break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars, resulting in deep browning without burning. Salt added early draws out internal moisture through osmosis, accelerating the caramelization process by concentrating natural sugars in the skillet.
Executing the Grated Egg Technique
Hard-boiled eggs provide protein and visual contrast when finished correctly using a fine rasp grater. Grating chilled eggs directly over hot bowls distributes the protein evenly across the dish, ensuring each bite includes yolk and white. Room-temperature eggs smear against metal blades rather than forming delicate, snowy shreds. Chill boiled eggs for at least thirty minutes in an ice bath before processing to firm the proteins and simplify peeling.
