I have a love/hate relationship with butternut squash.
I love eating it. But every time I perch one on my cutting board to peel, I think to myself: today will finally be the day when I call Charlie from the emergency room having just accidentally amputated a finger.
Not having to peel any gourds is just one of the reasons to love this cheesy, warm butternut squash dip. But it may be the biggest revelation.
After taking on the ambitious task of adding butternut squash to my Thanksgiving stuffing last year, I pretty much thought my hands would never return to their pre-leprosy state. All the peeling left my paws looking as orange and opaque as the outside of a carrot. I considered myself in butternut squash retirement for the foreseeable future.
That was, until I realized I could just roast the whole damn thing.
Though I’m a longtime butternut squash soup lover, I somehow always took the scenic route (i.e. peeling, cubing, roasting) instead of just doing the cooking equivalent of Google Maps and taking the far more direct, painless, sensible path. This is very unlike me. In the kitchen, as on the road, I’m a much bigger fan of the easy way than what so and so’s grandmother has been doing for decades. So it’s crazy that I hadn’t adopted this halve-and-then-roast short cut of my butternut squash dip until now.
Once you bake the squash for 45 minutes or so, until fork tender, you simply scoop out the flesh and stir it together with some garlic and herbs. Since it’s Super Bowl season and this dip is meant to be shared with your slightly more hedonistic friends, I mixed in a little Greek Yogurt and cheese. You can use mayo instead if you’re looking to cut down on the dairy. Similarly, you can omit the cheese. But the nutty gruyere and pistachio topping is well worth the potential lactose bloat, in my humble opinion.
Wishing you all a happy game day, and hope that this easy butternut squash dip makes an appearance on your coffee table! At least you won’t require a new pair of mittens to hide your hands afterwards.
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Warm Butternut Squash Dip with Gruyere and Pistachios
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Rub with olive oil and salt and arrange cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until a fork easily slides in and out of the non-hallow half.
- When cool enough to touch, scoop out the squash flesh and reserve in a bowl. Stir in the garlic, yogurt, ¾ cup cheese, cayenne and parsley. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as necessary (you’ll probably need ½ teaspoon). Transfer to an oven safe ramekin or casserole and top with the remaining cheese and nuts.
- Bake until the cheese is melted (be careful not to burn the nuts), about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately with gluten-free crackers.
Nutrition
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!
I use an even easier way with butternut squash: I put the whole thing (not halved) into my slow cooker! for a few hours to soften it up. Then it is really easy to peel, de-seed and chop.
If the squash is too big to fit, cut the bulbed end off, or cut it any which ways to get it to fit.
FYI I do this for spaghetti squash too, and potatoes – just throw into the slow cooker to soften up until I figure out what to do next. This way of cooking may be too slap-dash for you, but it works for me, and I eat a lot of winter squash as a result 🙂
Pamela that is amazing!!! Thanks for sharing that tip, I never would have thought of it. I also love Kobocha squash and they are even harder to peel IMO – I’m going to try out this tip. Thanks!
Report back Sarah!!
I am fascinated by this!! Will have to give it a try! Thank you so much for sharing Pamela. Genius!
Peeling the squash was always a reason we didn’t use it often. And you’re right; why not roast the whole damn thing and scoop it out?:) Gruyere is fantastic, but we also have a good piece of San Michalis cheese in the fridge, which is complex in flavors, that’ll be perfect for this!:) Can’t wait to try that one Phoebe!
thank you so much!
xoxoxo
ooo will have to see if they have that cheese in the states! xoxox
I try to eat local, and our CSA provided us with freshly frozen (peeled!) butternut squash. It is about one pound. Is there a way to make this recipe work with frozen squash or would the texture/consistency be off?
what a dream!! yes – I would roast it at 350/375 until soft. You don’t necessarily want to caramelize it – just want it to be soft and smashable. let me know how it goes!
Made this for a holiday party. Prepared the recipe up to the last part of step 3 in advance, then topped with cheese and pistachios and threw in the oven just before guests arrived. I really liked it as an alternative to a greasy artichoke dip or something. Will make again.
yay thanks Diane!
I want to try this!! What kind of crackers have you found to be compliant with the SIBO Specific Diet? Thanks!
Butternut squash is only FODMAP friendly in 1/4 cup quantities FYI. I’m not sure about the crackers, they would have to be paleo, I believe.
This will be a go to recipe for me in the fall. It was excellent!