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.
Oooooh Gina, this looks incredible!! I’m coming over for dinner soon ;)
um, i love the addition of tahini – such an underused flavor!
Funny that “puree” makes your skin crawl – I don’t have that reaction (“moist”, on the other hand…), but it is sort of a weird word. Regardless, the flavors sound incredible. Squash + maple syrup + garlic is now going to be on my must-make list. Really excited to give your recipe a try!
What about a mash? Anyway, whatever you call it, it looks great.
now that you and Katie mention it, I feel like an idiot for not thinking of that!
It looks delicious, a meal in itself. I’ve added it to my list of recipes for the weekend. LOL, totally dislike the words moist & panties, especially when used in the same sentence.
haha…you should come to our CSA– we do things for a family of two but normally get supplies for a family of ten. except in the case where we got one green pepper– how do you share 1 pepper if you were to split?
hmmm how about a mash? I know its smoother than a mash but puree does kind of scream baby food to me haha. Regardless this is straight up my alley… (did you mean 1 bulb of garlic though?).
I did mean 1 clove (b/c the squash is so tiny a bulb might be slightly overpowering) but I should clarify that it was a REALLY big clove :)
Those are totally the two words that make my skin crawl too – I can’t even type them here! But puree doesn’t seem to have the same effect on me.
Tsk, tsk!! Shame on you for stealing from the CSA! Hey I give you credit for admitting it!!! I never heard of dumpling squash, and I can’t wait to find and try it!! I got my CSA box this morning and low and behold it was filled with sugar pumpkins!!! I just love this time of year because of squash and pumpkins!!
Gina, I read your post everyday, save your recipes and make quite a few of them. I laughed out loud at your CSA stealing admission today! My girlfriend and I split a share also and I too must sometimes snag an extra veggie to split! Just wanted you to know you were not in your pilfering. You are so right thinking the CSA family of 4 must be anorexic sticks or my family and I eat way too much! Never had this squash but will try and find some and enjoy this recipe. Happy fall and thanks for the great recipes and morning laughs.
Polly