Savory Butternut Squash Crisp

I find inspiration in so many different ways.  From recipes that I’ve already made and enjoy, from foods that are in season, or from dishes that I eat while traveling.

I came up with this new recipe using a couple of existing recipes as inspiration.  One recipe is a homemade tart I enjoy that requires a from-scratch crust, covered with cheese, sweet potatoes, and red onion.  I found the tart recipe in a magazine a few years ago — another great way to get inspired!  It is a pretty time-consuming recipe and not gluten free, so I wanted to come up with an easy substitution without losing the great flavor.

Creating A New Recipe

In my head I was picturing a crumble instead of a pie crust.  A crumble topping seemed like the right solution.  I immediately thought of my Chocolate Fruit Crisp for Two, but modified the ingredients to be savory. I crossed my fingers and put all of the ingredients together to bake.  The Savory Butternut Squash Crisp came out of the oven and….success!  It turned out exactly as I had envisioned it. Maybe even better!

This fruit crisp would make a great addition to a holiday table, or served with some eggs or sausage for breakfast, or as a side dish with roasted chicken. Or you can enjoy it directly out of the pan!  Adding the coconut flakes and nuts helps give the mixture more texture.  Plus, flavors like thyme and rosemary pair perfectly with any squash; butternut squash is no exception.

Enjoying Butternut Squash

I love taking advantage of the beautifully colored and delicious-tasting vegetables of the fall.  This Savory Butternut Squash Crisp is absolutely going to be gracing my holiday table this year, and probably made at least weekly.  It’s incredibly hearty, comforting, and super simple to make.  You can even take a short cut and use frozen cubed butternut squash in the recipe to shorten most time consuming task of this recipe: peeling and cutting the squash.

My favorite way to cook butternut squash is roasting it, which allows some of the natural sugars to caramelize, giving this crisp a naturally sweet taste.  Just thinking about how it all came together makes my mouth water!

5 from 4 votes

Print

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 6

Author Sara

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/2 large red onion peeled and diced
• 1 large butternut squash peeled and pulp removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 garlic clove peeled and minced
• Topping
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup pecans or walnut
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 Tablespoons dried thyme
• 1/2 Tablespoons dried rosemary
• 4 Tablespoons grass fed butter or coconut oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. In a large sauté pan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat.
3. Add the red onion and sauté 3-5 minutes, until starting to look translucent.
4. Add the butternut squash and garlic, sauté while you make the topping.
5. In a food processor add the topping ingredient and pulse until the coconut and nuts are broken up, and the butter or coconut oil resembles pea-sized pieces.
6. Add the butternut mixture to a 8x8 baking dish.
7. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top.
8. Bake until the top is golden brown and the butternut squash is softened, about 45 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Choose organic ingredient when possible.