This maple and roasted garlic squash puree is made with sweet dumpling squash and a great side dish to any fall or winter meal.
I really hate using the word puree. I talked about this weird relationship with the word in this butternut squash puree recipe.
So much so actually that I just spent 15 minutes trying to name this concoction something else.
I actually went into this recipe calling it a dip in my head. I even photographed it as a dip, but then 6 hours later when dinner rolled around and it ended up alongside the rest of my meal I realized it’s totally not a dip.
It’s a puree.
And now that word has earned a spot right next to moist and panties in my book of words that make my skin crawl.
In other news, sometimes I steal from my CSA.
Yeah, I realize how horrible that sounds (and is) so before you nickname me Winona of the CSA, I’ll go ahead and throw my (irrelevant) justifications out there.
Firstly, they said at the beginning of this whole thing the amounts would be enough for a family of four. If that’s true, either their idea of a family of four consists of the emaciated munchkin-land type or we eat an extraordinary amount of food.
Secondly, they encourage splitting shares and yet give us stuff like 1 cabbage or 1 quart of apple cider making it somewhat difficult to split up in a parking lot before dropping off at each other’s houses.
So sometimes, I take two of something when I’m only supposed to take one.
I don’t even really feel bad about it either. I guess that’s the worst part.
But if they’re going to put out a case of eggplants, tell me to take one when there are some that are 3 times as big as the other, what’s the harm in taking 2 small ones instead so we can each have one?
See? It totally makes sense.
I didn’t actually steal this squash. This one’s legit. I keep my klepto-ness limited to the smaller items. I just felt the need to come clean with all that for some reason.
Apparently, it’s called a sweet dumpling squash and it may be the most delicious tasting squash I’ve ever tried. The maple syrup and cinnamon I roasted it with might have aided in formulating that opinion but I’m convinced the flesh of this squash is the best of all the winter varieties out there.
You can check out my basic roasted sweet dumpling squash recipe if you don’t want to go the extra step here of pureeing.
Butternut, you’ve been ousted from your throne.
If you can refrain from shoving it in your mouth piece by piece as you peel the flesh away from the skin while putting it in the food processor, it makes for one hell of a sweet and savory dip puree with some roasted garlic.
So good that the Thanksgiving menu which has forever included some sort of butternut squash is now being re-evaluated. It just won’t be called a puree.
MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS MAPLE ROASTED GARLIC SQUASH PUREE
Vanilla Carrot Parsnip Puree
Celery Root Puree with Roasted Balsamic Vegetables
Creamy Parsnip Puree with Caramelized Onions
Mashed Rutabaga with Garlic Herb Butter
Creamy Cauliflower Pumpkin Mash
Maple Roasted Garlic Squash Puree
Ingredients
- 1 sweet dumpling squash, seeds removed & cut into wedges
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic
- salt & pepper
- 1 teaspoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut milk, full fat, from can
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a baking sheet.
- Arrange squash wedges on the baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, cinnamon, maple syrup and salt & pepper.
- Cut off tip of garlic clove, drizzle a drop of olive oil on top, wrap in aluminum foil and place on baking sheet as well.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until squash is fork tender.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Once cool, remove flesh from the peel of the squash and place in a food processor.
- Remove garlic from aluminum foil, discard the peel and place the roasted clove in the food processor as well.
- Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth (3-5 minutes), stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice.
- Serve warm in a bowl drizzled with a touch more maple syrup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
the Winona of CSA. HA! love it.
I was going to say maybe “mash” but that almost seems like it was an accident. Woops, I mashed it. Idk…either way it looks good!
I have never heard about the squash before but boy does that look good! I have to try it!! :)
I’m glad i’m not the only one who detests those exact same words. But I would be willing to drop the “puree” word if I got to devour this with a shovel.
I have never made that squash before but it looks delicious! I need to try it!
Your posts always make me laugh. Please don’t ever stop.
Anything with roasted garlic and I immediately say yes! Add in the sweet dumpling squash, which I tried for the first time myself a couple weeks ago, and this sounds divine! And how cute is that little blue dish??
Gorgeous photos, too :)
I never really thought much about the word puree until today. Not sure how I feel about it, but I am totally with you on panties.
Whatever you call this though, I am all over it!