Best Butternut Squash Recipes

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These easy butternut squash recipes will have you loving fall’s favorite vegetable. Transform it into something hearty, creamy, savory, sweet – basically anything beyond delicious.

Orange shakshuka in a skillet on a table.

All The Reasons To Love Butternut Squash

Similar to its orange hued friends, sweet potato and pumpkin, butternut squash is quite the versatile autumn vegetable – here’s why.

  • Transform it into any type of meal. You can roast it in cubes for a side dish, blend into a creamy soup, stuff it, bake it into a frittata, saute it into a hash, and the list goes on! And if you’re not sure how to prepare this bulbous vegetable, read my post on how to peel and cut butternut squash.
  • Pairs beautifully with all sorts of ingredients. Flavor it up with other veggies and a stunning sauce. Or beef it up with dishes that include a bit of bacon, turkey, or sausage.
  • It’s got an impressive nutritional profile. Think antioxidants, loads of vitamins, nutrients, and yes – it’s low in calories! So if you ever need a healthy boost during the holidays, sneak in some of these delicious butternut squash recipes.

Butternut Squash Basics

From adding simple spices to mixing it with savory ingredients, these butternut squash recipes let its creamy and crisp texture really shine. Best of all, they’re easy enough to make for your weeknight dinner or Thanksgiving spread.

A bowl of butternut squash and eggplant stir fry

Butternut Squash and Eggplant Stir Fry

Butternut squash, eggplant, broccoli, and a sweet-and-savory balsamic soy sauce sauce makes for one sensational side dish! Bonus – you can turn this into a full meal by adding vegetarian proteins into the mix (such as chickpeas, lentils or tofu) or serving this over a bed of rice.

Two bowls of butternut squash soup with spoons.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This ultra creamy soup is a quintessential recipe for the season! It’s great for prepping on a Sunday night or adding to your holiday menu. However you serve it, its savory blend of onions, garlic, maple syrup, nutmeg, ginger, and vegetable broth is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Butternut squash filled with sausage apples and other ingredients in a baking dish.

Apple Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

One way to roast your butternut squash is in halves. And the best way to utilize this method is to stuff it with all sorts of sweet and savory ingredients, like diced apples, Italian sausage, kale, cranberries, pecans, and spices. The best of fall flavors all in one recipe!

Butternut squash frittata in a white saute pan on a table.

Kale and Butternut Squash Frittata 

I’m always looking for ways to sneak in veggies into my breakfast meals. From egg muffins, to breakfast hash, to green shakshuka, eggs will complement just about any vegetable. Enter this kale and butternut squash frittata. It’s a one pan recipe is fluffy, hearty, and easy to make for the whole family.

Mashed butternut squash in a white bowl.

Mashed Butternut Squash

Move over mashed potatoes. Butternut squash is here to take the spotlight in this rich and creamy side dish. Just blend together roasted butternut squash, olive oil, butter, salt and pepper for a healthy spin on a classic. Everyone around the table will love this!

A skillet with orange shakshuka.

Orange Shakshuka

I’m swapping tomatoes in a classic shakshuka for everyone’s favorite fall vegetable. This fragrant, orange spin is a blend of butternut squash, onion, orange bell pepper, vegetable broth, garlic, spices, and herbs – topped with gently poached eggs for a meal that can be eaten any time of the day!

This roasted butternut squash salad is easy and comes together fast! There's just a handful of ingredients including roasted butternut squash, romaine lettuce, goat cheese, walnuts and sprouts but it's packed with flavor for a delicious fall salad recipe.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Romain, and Goat Cheese Salad

Toss your roasted cubes into a fall inspired salad! This one’s easy to make and filled with delicious flavors. The creaminess of the butternut squash and goat cheese pair beautifully with the crisp Romaine lettuce and crunchy walnuts.

How To Meal Prep And Store Leftovers

Pro tip – this fall vegetable can be a great meal prep ingredient. You can roast it into cubes and store in the fridge for mixing into salads, bowls, and so much more. Here’s how to store it.

  • To Store: you can store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
  • To Reheat: Just pop it in the microwave to use a side dish or toss into a grain bowl or salad.

Need more weeknight meal ideas? Check out my best easy vegetarian recipes, best dinner ideas, or best meal prep recipes!

If you make any of these butternut squash, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

Butternut squash recipes side by side

Best Butternut Squash Recipes

5 from 7 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

These easy butternut squash recipes will have you loving the versatility of fall's favorite vegetable. Especially when you stuff it with this savory, apple sausage filling!

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 ½ pound butternut squash
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil, or olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • ½ pound Italian sausage
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups (lightly packed) baby spinach
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
  • ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • cup dried cranberries, unsweetened
  • ¼ cup pecans, chopped

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 400F (200F). Slice the butternut squash in half with a very sharp knife.
  • Scoop the seeds out of the butternut squash with a spoon. Then lightly brush oil on each butternut squash halve and season with salt and pepper.
  • Lay the butternut squash, cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes.
  • While the butternut squash is cooking, add the sausage to a saute pan on medium heat. Use a spatula to break up the sausage and cook until it's just browned.
  • Add the onions, garlic and baby spinach to the pan and stir for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Then add the apple, sage and rosemary and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the apple has softened slightly.
  • Turn off the heat and stir in the cranberries and pecans.
  • When the butternut squash halves are cooked through, remove them from the oven, flip them over and remove some of the flesh to make room for the filling.
  • Fill the butternut squash with the apple sausage filling.
  • Turn the top broiler on the oven and bake the filled butternut squash for 5 minutes, or until they're golden on top. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 982kcal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 1042mg | Potassium: 3833mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 82528IU | Vitamin C: 196mg | Calcium: 579mg | Iron: 13mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: butternut squash recipes
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

5 from 7 votes

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15 Comments

  1. This one us my go to for a butternut squash  dinner!  Might be doing it a lot since I had untold volunteer plants from my compost and have 20 butternuts to eat this winter!!

  2. The stuffed butternut (my fav) was absolutely delicious! Calorie count was off the charts, but there was so much we finished it the next night.

    Love love love all your videoes especially on meal prep.

    Thanks for all your help and great recipes!!

    Natalie Kearney5 stars

  3. My favorite squash to cook and bake with! LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe collection and will start with the soup one!5 stars

  4. Roasting butternut squash brings out all those delicious flavours and I can’t believe how many dishes you can make with it too!5 stars

  5. I absolutely adore butternut squash in the fall — and that Kale & Butternut Squash Frittata is calling my name! Can’t wait to try it!5 stars

  6. I love butternut squash and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy it. There is lots of great choice here – the soup looks amazing.5 stars

      1. butternut squash it s very good and have 15 variantly recives to cook and make tasted diferently every time. Thanks for effort to sharing and this article5 stars