Starter Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

Serving up some butternut squash soup is a great way to enjoy a bit of autumn flavor. And we LOVE the fact that this recipe adds a Granny Smith apple into the mix for a refreshing contrast in taste.

Another reason this is our go-to recipe: you won't have to waste time peeling and chopping up the squash, with its tough skin and cumbersome shape. Instead, you slice it in half and roast it in the oven. So much simpler!

The finished product is smooth, satisfying and packed with flavor...

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

(makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients

• 4 pounds whole butternut squash (about 2 medium), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
• 1 medium Granny Smith apple (about 8 ounces)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the squash pieces cut-side up on the baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush all of it over the tops and insides of the squash halves (alternatively, you can rub it on evenly with your fingers). Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until knife tender, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, peel, core, and cut the apple into medium dice. Cut the onion into medium dice. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the apple, onion, and sage, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
4. When the squash is ready, set the baking sheet on a wire rack until the squash is cool enough to handle. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh into the saucepan with the sautéed apples and onions; discard the skins.
5. Add the broth, water, and measured salt and pepper, stir to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large pieces of squash, until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream.
6. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid) and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape and prevents the lid from popping off). Alternatively, use an immersion blender. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the pumpkin seeds, if using.

Creative Pizza Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash

Butternut squash? Check. Sweet potatoes? Check. This pizza takes the classic dinnertime pie and spins it into a hearty meal filled with seasonal flavors.

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s very adjustable to dietary needs – you pick the crust you want to use, which means gluten-free eaters can find a foundation that’s perfect for them. Tomato allergies are also pretty common, and this pizza swaps out traditional sauce for a sweet butternut squash puree. It’s also vegetarian!

The sweet potato topping is sprinkled with cayenne, and you can adjust the spice level accordingly. Because there’s room for variation, it’s easy to make this recipe just to your liking.

The original instructions call for pre-made dough, but either homemade or store-bought dough works just fine -- so long as it’s pre-baked a little bit before the sauce and toppings are added. Click here for a simple pizza dough recipe from Bobby Flay, buy pre-made dough or crust, or stick with your own go-to recipe!

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza

(makes 16 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and diced into small cubes) 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 large sweet potato, diced into small cubes 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 small pinch cayenne pepper 
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 bunch of kale, finely chopped
• 2 13.8-ounce tubes of Pillsbury pizza crust (or similar amount of other dough/crust)
• 1 cup shredded Manchego cheese (substitutes include mozzarella or Gruyère)
• (Recipe makes about two pizzas; picture above only shows half a pizza) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   
2. Arrange the diced butternut squash on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
   
3. Arrange the sweet potatoes on a different baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of oil and sprinkle with cumin, cayenne, and a little bit of salt. Bake both sheets for 30 minutes, or until squash and sweet potatoes are soft and roasted.
   
4. Transfer the butternut squash to a food processor; add the milk and process until smooth.
   
5. Roll the pizza dough out onto a greased cookie sheet. Cut into eight equal squares (or desired serving size/slice shape) and parbake (pre-bake) the dough for eight minutes.
   
6. Evenly spread the butternut squash puree over each pizza square. Top with sweet potatoes, kale, and the shredded Manchego cheese (or substitute).
   
7. Bake another six to eight minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot and fresh out of the oven. 
   
8. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Recipe: Slow Cooker Squash Stew

Squash is packed with vitamins, a super food if there ever were one-- and it's delicious, to boot. We love throwing it in with some other simple ingredients to create a hearty stew. 

This is an absolutely vegetarian dish that combines the savory notes of a good broth with some sweetness from the tomato paste and the squash. It all ends with a little kick from some red pepper flakes to really make this a light dish that's perfect on the palate. Keep reading below for this recipe...

Slow Cooker Squash Stew

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves and stems separated and roughly chopped
• 4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and golden brown (about 4 to 5 minutes). Stir in the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and chili powder, and cook for 1 minute.
2. Stir in 1/2 cup vegetable stock, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet, then transfer the contents of the skillet to a slow cooker.
3. Add the chickpeas, squash, chard stems (but not the leaves), bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt, remaining vegetable stock, lemon juice, and 3 cups of water. Stir, then cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Just before serving, lift and stir in the chard leaves. Cook for 10 more minutes. Remove the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, then stir to slightly break up the squash. Ladle the stew into bowls, top with grated parmesan if desired, and serve with bread.
5. Enjoy!

Seasonal Recipe: Twice-Baked and Stuffed Butternut Squash

Pumpkins get a lot of attention annually, but they’re not the only members of the gourd family—we’d like to remind everyone about their cousins, the butternut squash. Butternut squash is easy to cook with and blends really well with other flavors, as witnessed here with mushrooms. Try it and see how easily this could become a staple in your dinner rotation!

Quinoa and Mushroom-Stuffed Butternut Squash

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. butternut squash; 2 regular-sized squashes
• 2 cups quinoa
• 1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
• ½ cup parmesan
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• water
• salt and pepper, to taste

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450º F
2. Cut squashes in half, take the seeds out and place, cut side up, in two 11x7 baking dishes. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil (one tablespoon per squash), and add 1/4 inch of water to baking dishes.
3. Cover baking dishes with foil and bake for around 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 375º F
5. In a small pot, bring 4 cups water to a boil and then add quinoa. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all water. Remove from heat.
6. In a pan, heat remaining olive oil and sauté mushrooms and onions on medium heat. Add in the garlic after a few minutes. Cook until fragrant and onions are translucent.
7. After squash has cooled, scoop out the insides, leaving about a 1/4 inch of flesh.
8. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, butternut squash, mushrooms, onions and garlic, and parmesan cheese. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
9. Spoon mixture back into the hollow butternut squashes and return them to the over to back for 20-25 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Gluten-Free & Low Carb Pasta Alternative: Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Pesto

It may seem as though nothing could ever replace the goodness that is pasta, but this spaghetti squash comes pretty close! Okay, so maybe it doesn’t taste the same as our beloved pasta, but this meal does taste delightfully fresh and you should all try it. Kids will have a blast tearing into these squashes—transforming squash into pasta-like strands is fun for anyone—and adding fresh pesto is the cherry on top of this healthy and tasty meal!

Pesto Spaghetti Squash

(Serves 4) 

Ingredients 

1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for roasting

1 large bunch basil leaves, washed and dried

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

grated mozzarella, to taste

Directions 

1. Preaheat oven to 400º F.
2. Take two halves of squash and place on a baking tray, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until tender.
3. Place your basil and garlic in food processor and pulse, slowly pouring in olive oil. Add in half of pine nuts and continue to pulse until smooth.
4. Remove squash from oven and let cool for several minutes. Drain if liquid has accumulated in hollow centers.
5. Using a fork, scrape out the insides of the squash into “spaghetti” and set aside.
6. Pour pesto sauce and parmesan onto spaghetti squash, toss, garnish with mozzarella and serve hot.