I’m a fairly new convert to Butternut Squash – We certainly didn’t eat it when I was growing up. I don’t even remember seeing it in the supermarket. As I’ve said before, I’m a huge fan of Sweet Potato (which in my mind should have tasted just the same as squash) but it has taken me a bit longer for the taste of Butternut Squash to grow on me. What I do love is how far just one butternut squash can be stretched. From just one large squash we made a huge heap of these crostini (a substantial snack or starter for 4/5 people) and a batch of delicious Butternut Squash Soup.
I used ciabatta for the crostini but if you have baguette that needs using, this is fine too. I left the ciabatta under the grill for a little too long so it is slightly caught but hey, that’s family cooking!
The roasted butternut squash is so delicious, I would be surprised if you weren’t tempted to eat it off the baking tray with a spoon. (Tell me I’m not the only one who does this?)
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH CROSTINI
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 40 minutes |
| Total time | 55 minutes |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Lunch, Snack, Starter |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Thanksgiving |
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 Butternut Squash
- 3 tablespoons Runny Honey
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 Ciabatta Loaf
- 1 handful Pecan Nuts (Broken into small pieces)
- 1 handful Rocket (Chopped fairly small)
- Olive Oil to drizzle before serving
NOTE
If you want to make this easier to eat, the butternut squash is lovely mashed up and spread over the crostini
DIRECTIONS
| 1. | |
| Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking parchment | |
| 2. | |
| Chop the Butternut Squash into evenly sized pieces – around 1/2cm. No need to peel as the skin will soften on roasting | |
| 3. | |
| Toss the squash around in the honey and maple until evenly dispersed and lay as flat as possible on the baking tray | |
| 4. | |
| Bake for 35-40 minutes until softened | |
| 5. | |
| Meanwhile, but the ciabatta loaf into 1cm thick slices and toast on each side | |
| 6. | |
| When the squash is cooked, mix into the rocket and spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture on top of each slice of toasted ciabatta | |
| 7. | |
| Sprinkle over the pecans and drizzle over with olive oil | |
| 8. | |
| Best eaten within the hour – This is still nice when the squash has cooled completely | |
Ooh Helen, I never know what to do with squash- thank you x
We never used to eat butternut squash, either…. mind you, we never had pumpkin for Halloween, only swedes, so exotic was not on our menu. I love it in soups, but I’ll have to give this a go. The topping sounds like it would go beautifully with bacon.
Mmmm your crostini look delicious Helen, that close up of the butternut squash is making me extremely hungry this morning. Got to try this, we love BNS. Thanks for featuring my meringue pies. So many delicious entries this week, love all the GBBO bakes!
Ooh that’s a very interesting variation. I usually go for a tomato brushchetta but I’d definitely try this!
OOh that looks really good and perfect for the weekend, when you want a lazy lunch.
Ooh we absolutely love butternut squash Helen. I love the idea of searving it on a crostini, it’s reminded me of how much we enjoy it on pizza with goat’s cheese!
greatround up, thankyou for including my lemon meringue pie in your feature.
Angela x
I never know what to do with butternut squash – this sounds lovely x
I totally love butternut squash, it’s like a better textured pumpkin. I actually use it in place for pumpkin in a lot of recipes, it’s a better colour, better texture and it can be hard to get proper pumpkin in the UK. It tastes pretty much the same when baked also anyway!
Totally loving your use of it in this crostini, so much yum!
It’s been a while since I linked up with Bake of the Week, but I’m excited to be back!