Our 14 Favorite Butternut Squash Recipes

These dishes show off the natural earthy sweetness of winter squash using a range of flavors and techniques.

If tomatoes are summer’s long-awaited gems, then it may be fair to say that sweet, amenable butternut squash, its orange flesh the color of autumn leaves, is fall’s jewel. But unlike tomatoes, whose peak is fleeting, sturdy squash lingers, staying fresh for months if kept at the right conditions (in a cool, dark place at room temperature, or in the refrigerator). The butternut squash recipes below enhance vegetable’s understated beauty, bringing out its best whether roasted, blitzed into a soup or topping flaky pastry.

1. Roasted Butternut Squash

Ali Slagle knows that by keeping things simple, you open the door to many possibilities. In this bare-bones recipe, she lets squash’s true flavor shine, roasting it under high heat with just a slick of oil and a shower of salt. Add whatever spices you like to enhance squash’s sweet-savory character, or stick to salt and use the squash in whatever base you like. Toss the cubes with pasta, tuck them into a tortilla, let them enhance simple salads. The choice is yours.

Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash

2. Butternut Squash Soup

This simple soup from Yewande Komolafe is full of surprising depth thanks to a combination of spices and a splash of rice vinegar to temper squash’s sweetness. It’s just the thing for a rainy day dinner or a warming office lunch.

Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

3. Sheet-Pan Coconut Curry With Squash and Tofu

In Hetty Lui McKinnon’s sheet-pan dinner, winter squash roasts in a shallow coconut curry. The best part: no peeling necessary. In fact, the skin keeps the squash from falling apart while cooking. And if you wanted an extra layer of flavor, you could add some grated ginger and garlic to the coconut milk.

Recipe: Sheet-Pan Coconut Curry With Squash and Tofu

4. Kaddu With Greens and Shrimp

Zainab Shah adds shrimp and kale to South Asian kaddu and turns the squash-based main into a hearty dinner. The coconut milk lends richness and enhances the natural sweetness of squash and shrimp. Take Zainab’s advice, and choose precut squash to get this on the table extra fast.

Recipe: Kaddu With Greens and Shrimp

5. Creamy Butternut Squash and Coconut Noodle Soup

This easy weeknight noodle soup takes a cue from khao soi, the northern Thai dish of egg noodles in a creamy coconut curry broth. In Christian Reynoso’s 35-minute recipe, butternut squash is simmered in a fragrant broth with coconut milk until tender enough to mash. Ladle the soup over egg noodles and garnish with a lot of lime juice, cilantro, crispy shallots, chile oil or whatever your heart desires.

Recipe: Creamy Butternut Squash and Coconut Noodle Soup

6. Sheet-Pan Gochujang Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Butternut squash shares the pan with turnips and chicken thighs in this recipe from Yewande Komolafe. Gochujang adds a bit of punch, and lightly pickled scallions and radishes bring just the right amount of acidity to balance the rich flavors.

Recipe: Sheet-Pan Gochujang Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

7. Zucca in Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Butternut Squash)

A short ingredient list, paired with a simple roast under high heat, lets squash shine under a sweet-sour syrup of vinegar, sugar, garlic and salt in this Naz Deravian recipe, based on a classic Sicilian preparation. Make it in advance to let the seasonings absorb and mingle, then dig in.

Recipe: Zucca in Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Butternut Squash)

8. Butternut Squash Sambar

Naz Deravian’s version of the comforting South Indian stew is loaded with butternut squash, carrots and potatoes, but feel free to swap in other vegetables like green beans or eggplant. The recipe includes instructions on how to make your own fresh sambar powder, but you can also use the jarred spice mix available at Indian markets. Serve with idli and coconut chutney, dosas or rice.

Recipe: Butternut Squash Sambar

9. Hearty Kale, Squash and Bean Soup

This crowd-pleasing soup from David Tanis pairs winter squash (butternut, but Hubbard or acorn also work) with hearty beans, greens and smoky chorizo. It’s the ultimate in comfort, and the kind of soup that leaves you asking for more — but not because you’re still hungry.

Recipe: Hearty Kale, Squash and Bean Soup

10. Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Galette

Thinly sliced squash tossed with smoky paprika tops this galette from Yossy Arefi. Just below the slices, which char gently at the edges, is an herby goat cheese mixture, infused with earthy thyme and bright chives. Red onion offers up a little sharpness, while that crust — homemade, preferably, but store-bought will work — ties it all together for a satisfyingly savory and showstopping main.

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Galette

11. Sheet-Pan Red Curry Chicken With Butternut Squash

Winner, winner, sheet-pan chicken dinner! In this sweet and spicy recipe from Ali Slagle, boneless chicken thighs are coated in Thai red curry paste and roasted in a hot oven alongside cubes of butternut squash, which get nice and caramelized. Serve with rice, or a crunchy raw vegetable salad.

Recipe: Sheet-Pan Red Curry Chicken With Butternut Squash

12. Butternut Squash Congee With Chile Oil

Hetty Lui McKinnon, a brilliant creator of vegetarian recipes, shows off squash’s range by nestling it into a comforting congee, that silky rice dish eaten across East, Southeast and South Asia. Spicy chile oil cuts through the dish, built on leftover rice, giving this otherwise-gentle recipe, a balm for cold nights, some crucial verve.

Recipe: Butternut Squash Congee With Chile Oil

13. Roasted Squash With Spiced Onion Gravy

In her take on roasted butternut squash, Sohla El-Waylly pairs it with a gravy that’s rich with onions and run through with the heady aromas of turmeric, cumin, coriander and ginger. A splash of vinegar lends tang quickly. Serve over white rice for a full vegetarian dinner, ready in 45 minutes.

Recipe: Roasted Squash With Spiced Onion Gravy

14. Pasta With Butternut Squash, Kale and Brown Butter

This Ali Slagle recipe is exceedingly flexible: Other spice mixes, greens and vegetables can step in for the garam masala, kale and squash. (Ali recommends five-spice or a mix of cinnamon and crushed fennel seeds, brussels sprouts, and carrots or chickpeas.) What keeps it all anchored is the earthy-nutty mix of brown butter, whole-wheat pasta and, of course, squash.

Recipe: Pasta With Butternut Squash, Kale and Brown Butter

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