When we think of orange squash in October, we think of pumpkin. It is the quintessential orange squash. I would bet good money, however, that when most of us eat orange squash, we’re eating butternut. Here’s a little secret for you: they’re readily interchangeable. In fact, if your pumpkin of choice is canned, the vegetable you’re eating probably looks more like butternut squash than a classic pie pumpkin.
Pumpkin pie is one way to eat pumpkin. I guess. Between you, me, and the internet, however, I don’t get it. If I’m going to indulge in a sweet treat, pumpkin pie is pretty low on my list of choices. And frankly, there are SO MANY DELICIOUS THINGS you can do with pumpkin or squash puree. Let’s play.
Cooking Tips
Any pureed orange squash will do for most of these recipes. The biggest variation is in water content. You can use frozen butternut, for example, but you might need to strain out a little water, or cook a dish down further. Roasted hubbard squash is, in my opinion, the most delicious, but it’s drier. You may need to add a little extra water.
Breakfast
Many of us struggle to include vegetables at breakfast. Sweet, creamy squash is the answer. It’s amazing in baked goods, it works stirred into oatmeal, and it plays nicely with warm spices that work so well on a chilly morning. You can even use it in a smoothie.
Lunch
A little light lunch is perfectly embodied by so many things you can do with squash: soup, hummus, pizza. Especially pizza. The recipe below uses a cauliflower crust, which has its advantages, but don’t feel limited. Squash puree is an awesome sauce for just about any kind of pizza.
Dinner
Whole squash is always at home on any sheet-pan roast of vegetables, but today, we’re here for puree. It makes amazing savory muffins, unbelievable pasta filling, and even pasta sauce. We don’t have a rated recipe for this, but play around with squash puree, roasted garlic, nutritional yeast, and low-sodium stock. That’s all you need to make a bright vegan mac and “cheese” that delicious in its own right.
Dessert
I’m not here to mess with your family’s pie recipe, rogue pie-skeptic though I am. I am here to give you recipes so delicious they’re standards in my household. And yes, you can eat the waffles for dessert…and breakfast. (This particular recipe makes a massive batch.) Thus, we have come full circle.
