15 of the Best Butternut Squash Recipes for Your Fall and Winter Menu

Are you into your fall menu yet? And maybe looking for something new and nutritious to bring to the table?

Well, if you don’t already know about winter squash, particularly the butternut variety, you’re in for a delightful surprise!

A collage of photos showing different butternut squash recipes.

So-named for its buttery texture and rich, nutty flavor, the butternut is one of the stars of the autumn menu. It’s referred to as butternut pumpkin in some areas.

With a deep orange color, sweet, rich flavor, and velvety smooth texture, it’s well-suited for use in both savory and sweet recipes.

And with a flavor and texture like pumpkin, it shines when cooked with warming spices. It also makes a perfect substitute for any pumpkin recipe – like the tempting ones found in our pumpkin round-up!

It also has excellent nutritional value with known anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting properties, and high levels of vitamins A and C, dietary fiber, magnesium, potassium, and other key nutrients.

Classified as a fruit in the genus Cucurbita, it’s treated as a vegetable in the kitchen, and can be cooked in a myriad of ways – cubed for stews and goulashes, grilled, roasted, pureed for baby food and baked goods or soups, steamed, stuffed, or mashed for use in casseroles and side dishes.

Roasting is one of the most common cooking methods because the cut edges caramelize beautifully while the flesh becomes silky-textured and sweet tasting. But there’s many more delicious ways to prepare this outstanding veggie, and we’re offering up 14 of our favorite recipes from baked fries to slow cooker soup.

But before you dig in to the round-up, be sure to read our detailed guide on their impressive nutritional profile, plus cooking and storage methods for this cold weather staple.

Smitten with Squash (The Northern Plate)

And if you need a bit more inspiration beyond our fabulous recipe picks, grab a copy of Amanda Kay Paa’s Smitten with Squash. It has over 70 sweet and savory recipes that will overwhelm you with flavor! This delicious cookbook is available on Amazon.

Healthy and tasty, you’ll love how versatile this vegetable can be in baked goods, as a side dish, or on its own. Now, let’s get into the kitchen!

Simple Puree and Savory Soups

1. Start Your Fall Cooking with a Smooth Puree

From hummus to soups to pies, a puree of this tasty winter squash makes a nutritious addition to many dishes.

A rustic pumpkin soup perfect for the fall - Foodal.com

Make a big batch and pop some in the freezer to have on hand when you want it.

Read more here to get all the pureeing basics you’ll need!

2. Slow Cooker Soup

Rich, creamy, and oh-so-nutritious, you’ll want to make a BIG pot of this tasty soup!

Recipe for Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup | Foodal.com

Turn on the slow cooker in the morning and enjoy the smooth goodness for dinner – perfect with a salad and some crusty bread.

Here’s the convenient and tasty recipe.

3. Barley Winter Soup

Rich in flavor and loaded with nutritious barley, cannellini beans, harvest vegetables, and warming spices, this hearty winter soup will warm you through and through!

Top down close up view of a butternut and barley winter soup recipe in a white, ceramic bowl.

And it can easily be made gluten-free by switching out the barley for brown rice.

Find the tasty recipe here.

Scrumptious Sides

4. Healthy Baked Fries for Seasonal Snacking

Okay french fry fans, here’s a delicious and guilt-free recipe that you’re going to love.

Top-down shot of browned sticks of butternut squash arranged on a left side of a beige serving platter with a small square glass dish of a thick white sauce to the right, on a dark and light blue cloth with a triangular pattern.
Photo by Meghan Yager.

These baked butternut fries have a gorgeous, crispy exterior and soft, fluffy interior – and they’re healthy, too.

Here’s the easy recipe.

5. Dijon Mustard and Sage Roasted Squash

Sweetly nutty butternuts combined with sweet dumpling squash caramelize beautifully, and they’re taken to the next level when lightly dressed with a tangy mustard sauce, making for a fantastic flavor combo.

Close up of a pan of roasted Dijon sage flavored butternut squash with a pomegranate cranberry sauce in the background.
Photo by Raquel Smith.

Quick and easy to make, this is a spectacular side dish for the holiday table.

Find the step-by-step instructions right here.

6. Quinoa with Roasted Squash and Cranberries

Roasted butternut, tangy cranberries, and texturally delightful quinoa are flavored with warming spices and orange zest for extraordinary fall flavors.

Green and orange double-handled ceramic crocks of quinoa with winter squash and cranberries, with a blue serving dish of berries, a white miniature pumpkin, and two orange plastic decorative gourds in the background.
Photo by Meghan Yager.

A dish that’s sure to become an autumn menu mainstay!

Here’s the detailed instructions.

7. Winter Vegetable Orzo Salad

A vegan pasta salad that’s made with winter vegetables, you’ll enjoy the deep, rich flavors of roasted squash and kale along with creamy orzo and a tangy lemon and mustard dressing.

Top down view of a kale and butternut orzo past salad in white bowl on a white wooden table. A wooden spoon sits to the upper left of the bowl and an empty lemon peel to the upper right.
Photo by Raquel Smith.

Serve as a vegetarian main course, or as a side dish. And of course, a pasta salad is a natural in a picnic basket!

Get the tasty details here.

8. Festive Roasted Beet and Pomegranate Couscous Salad

Perched on a bed of Israeli couscous and green arugula, the roasted squash, beets, and jewel-like pomegranate arils make a festive vegan salad that’s as delightful in terms of taste as it is for the eyes.

A human hand pours a lemon dressing over a Roasted Butternut Squash and Beet Couscous Salad.
Photo by Raquel Smith.

Finished with a zesty vinaigrette, this hearty salad comes together in under an hour.

Here’s the easy recipe.

9. Roasted Squash and Black Rice with Hemp Miso Dressing

Sweetly caramelized squash and earthy black rice are beautifully accented with the sweet, salty, toasted, and umami-rich flavors of miso and hemp seeds – an outstanding combo that will delight your taste buds.

Close up of a roasted butternut squash with black rice and hemp seed and miso dressing.
Photo by Raquel Smith.

This vegetarian dish is wonderfully satisfying as a main course. Try it for your next Meatless Monday meal!

Get all the instructions here.

Mouthwatering Main Dishes

10. Pancetta Mac and Cheese

One of our most beloved comfort foods, this mac and cheese has the added deliciousness of crispy pancetta and velvety butternut puree.

Butternut Squash Pancetta Mac and Cheese
Photo by Chelsea Miller.

Creamy and rich, the puree cuts the cheese sauce without sacrificing flavor – making it the ideal, guilt-free recipe for this old-time favorite.

You can find this comfort recipe here.

11. A Healthy Galette

The buttery, flaky crust of this freeform galette is perfectly complemented with the sweetly savory veggie filling.

Make This Delicious Butternut Squash and Leek Galette | Foodal.com
Photo by Felicia Lim.

Charmingly rustic, this pretty tart is sure to impress for lunch or a light dinner.

The recipe’s here – and it’s easier than you think.

12. Argentine Lentil Stew

Get your inner gaucho on with the warm, delicious flavors of this Argentine stew.

The Best Recipe for Lentil and Vegetable Stew | Foodal.com
Photo by Felicia Lim.

Chock-full of veggies and lentils, it’s perfectly satisfying when served vegetarian-style – but feel free to ride the pampas with the hearty meat options that are described as well.

Here’s the recipe for this tasty stew.

13. Farro Risotto with Mushrooms and Kale

Made with farro, this vegan risotto has a superb, creamy-but-chewy texture. And the deep umami flavors of the kale and mushrooms are beautifully balanced with the roasted sweetness of winter squash.

Oblique view of a nonstick frying pan full of a Farro Risotto with Mushrooms & Kale dish. the pan is sitting on a white, linen towel and a rustic wooden table top.
Photo by Raquel Smith.

This is a dish for those who like their risotto with full flavor!

Find this tasty recipe right here.

14. Moroccan Lamb, Lentil, and Veggie Stew

For a taste of North Africa on a cold winter’s day, try this lamb, lentil, and veggie stew seasoned with the flavorful spices that are commonly featured in Moroccan cuisine.

The Best Spicy Lamb Moroccan Stew
Photo by Mike Quinn.

The sweet veggies combine beautifully with the earthy flavors of lamb and lentils, and all are infused with fragrant warming spices.

Get the winter-busting recipe here.

Delicious Baked Goods

15. Flaky Whole Grain Biscuits

With whole grain goodness and buttery flakiness, these fast and easy biscuits have a hint of spice that makes them perfect served with a sweet jam, or alongside a savory soup or stew.

Horizontal image of a basket with orange baked biscuits with jam in the background.
Photo by Nikki Cervone.

Delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Get the recipe right here.

Time to Get Cooking

As you can see, the wonderfully adaptable butternut squash can be used in both sweet and savory dishes and served at any meal – and kids like it too!

Now, with all these wonderful recipes, plus the many pumpkin options available, you can plan a complete autumn menu to take advantage of their sweet, nutty flavor and bountiful nutrition.

And if you’re looking for some spirits to brighten you fall-flair parties, be sure to add a bowl of Moosebeereherbstblätter to the table. This Cranberry Autumn Leaves Punch has a light, spritzy flavor your guests will love – and it adds a great splash of harvest colors!

Photos by Raquel Smith, Meghan Yager, Chelsea Miller, Felicia Lim, Mike Quinn, and Nikki Cervone © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Lorna Kring

Recently retired as a costume specialist in the TV and film industry, Lorna now enjoys blogging on contemporary lifestyle themes. A bit daft about the garden, she’s particularly obsessed with organic tomatoes and herbs, and delights in breaking bread with family and friends.

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