Honeypatch squash is a hybrid winter squash from Row 7 seed company that offers sweet, tender flesh and edible skin with a manageable, compact size to cook with. Roasted with a dollop of miso butter and a dusting of cinnamon, it’s a beautiful seasonal side dish.
My love for winter squash, especially adorable hybrid varieties, continues to expand with this latest new find — honeypatch squash. I travel 65 minutes one way weekly for allergy shots (the joys of living in the middle of nowhere). The highlight of this weekly jaunt is the proximity to Whole Foods, where I can find all the foods my local Price Chopper doesn’t carry.
On a recent trip, the most exciting find was these adorable honeypatch squash. At first, I mistook them for baby butternuts, but glancing at their labels told me otherwise. When I saw they were a Row 7 seed company creation, just like koginut squash and honeynut squash, I immediately threw them in the cart.
The label on these squash claims they’re “sweet as honey,” after roasting them until fork tender, I can attest that it’s not lying. This winter squash features sweet flesh that cooks to a smooth and creamy consistency, edible skin and a convenient and manageable size that fits in the palm of your hand.
It’s everything you want out of a seasonal squash variety, and though I feel like I say this with every new breed that pops up, it may be my favorite yet.
What is honeypatch squash?
Honeypatch squash, originally called 898 squash before it became widely available in grocery stores, was bred by chef Daniel Barber and breeder Michael Mazourek to rework the common butternut squash.
The intent was to concentrate the sweetness and beta carotene in a large butternut squash into a smaller-sized variety.
Where is it grown?
Honeypatch squash is grown in New York and Massachusetts by regional farmers and certified organic.
What does it taste like?
As chef Dan Barber states on the Row 7 website, honeypatch squash is what butternut squash should taste like: honey sweet, custardy and jaw-droppingly delicious.
How do you cook honeypatch squash?
Chef Barber also suggests simply cutting the squash in half, roasting, and serving. After playing around with many different cooking methods, I agree that preparation is best kept simple for this squash. Its innate flavor is so delectable that little is needed to suss it up.
Where to find honeypatch squash
Seeds can be purchased online if you wish to grow the squash yourself. Otherwise, from October through January, honeypatch is available regionally in the northeast and mid-Atlantic.
Ingredients to make roasted honeypatch squash
To let the flavor of the squash shine, roasting has become my favorite method with this variety. And while I wanted to keep it simple, a quick savory compound butter combining white miso paste and room temperature salted butter makes the perfect filling for the cavity of each squash half.
You’ll need these ingredients to make it:
- Honeypatch squash — Because of the size of these squash, you’ll want one per person.
- Extra virgin olive oil spray — You can also use regular oil but the spray is sufficient for roasting.
- Salt — This balances the natural sweet flavor of the squash.
- Salted butter — Make sure the butter is at room temperature so it can be combined with the miso paste more easily.
- White miso paste — The umami, funky flavor of miso is such a great pairing with sweet things. Our maple miso chicken is evidence of that!
- Cinnamon — A dusting of sweet cinnamon rounds out the fall flavors in this dish.
How to roast the squash
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Slice the tops of each squash off, then cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and either save them for roasting or discard them. Arrange the squash on a baking sheet and spray the cut side with the olive oil. Season generously with salt, then flip the squash so the cut side faces down.
Roast the squash for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the miso butter by mixing the softened butter and miso paste in a small bowl until well combined.
Remove the squash from the oven. Use tongs to flip over each half, then place a small spoonful of the miso butter into the cavity of each squash. Dust with cinnamon, then return to the oven and roast for another 10-15 minutes until fork tender.
The squash should be caramelized along the edges and have started to turn golden brown. The miso butter will be bubbly.
Serve warm alongside your favorite fall meal, and remember, the entire squash is edible, including the skin.
I typically choose a sweet or savory route when roasting squash or any other vegetable, but this recipe combines the two. The natural sweetness of the honeypatch squash is so intense it could be considered dessert if paired with maple syrup and butter like in this white acorn squash recipe.
For that reason, the miso butter is a lovely complement to the flavor of the squash if you want to serve this as a side dish with dinner. Miso paste works magic to add a subtle umami vibe to the squash while letting its candy-like taste shine through.
Other ways to enjoy honeypatch squash
If you’re partial to mashed squash, this variety would be an excellent choice to mash or puree. It would do nicely with a hint of vanilla, like this carrot and parsnip puree.
Instead of sweet potato cookies or bars, try swapping out some mashed honeypatch squash in the recipe for a unique fall treat. It’d also be an excellent replacement for sweet potato in this cornbread recipe or butternut squash in these biscuits.
Because of its custardy smooth texture, honeypatch would also make a delicious creamy soup. Swap it out for buttercup in this Thai-inspired fall soup.
More squash recipes to try
Barley butternut squash salad
Butternut squash nachos
Maple roasted garlic squash puree
Stuffed red kuri squash
Roasted Honeypatch Squash with Miso Butter
Ingredients
- 4 honeypatch squash
- extra virgin olive oil cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Slice the tops off the squash then cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and either save for roasting or discard.
- Spray the cut side of the squash with the olive oil spray. Season with salt and place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the miso butter by mixing the miso paste and butter in a small bowl with a spoon or fork until combined.
- Remove the squash from the oven, use tongs to turn each half over. Spoon the miso butter into the cavity of each squash and dust with cinnamon.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven with squash cut side up and roast for another 10-15 minutes until fork tender.
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.
It’s my first time to cook honey patch squash and I think I did it some justice with this recipe of yours! ^ ^ the combination of the miso paste on the squash works so well and the umami flavor is amazing. Love this recipe! thank you so much!
So simple and delicious! Sweet, tender, and a hint of cinnamon. Perfect side dish for the holidays.
I’ve never combined miso and cinnamon before but I loved this! Hearty yet healthy.
What an easy and delicious way to make butternut squash. The miso paste was a great addition. Love the flavoring. YUM!
Delicious and easy, quick to prepare. Planning to make this again for Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing!
I made this last week for my family- and wow- that miso butter is insanely delicious!! What a great idea I had never thought of!! We might actually make this at thanksgiving too.