Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Puree

Smooth as butter and sweet as a nut, butternut squash tastes great with a lot of different treatments. In the past I’ve shared recipes for a super simple Butternut Squash “Lasagnette with Sage and Parmesan, Butternut Squash “lasagna” with Sausage and Spinach, and seriously good Butternut Squash and Creamed Spinach Empanadas. Instead of digging deeper to think of something new, I went back to the fundamentals. Did you realize that squash is in fact a fruit? Of course it is – the seeds are inside! With that revelation I decided to take a sweet turn.

Butternut squash is a fruit! Doesn’t that open up ideas for you?

This Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Puree is classic; like something you might expect from Fannie Farmer, Joy of Cooking or Martha Stewart. It’s only 5 ingredients, incidentally vegan and super healthy. The natural fructose takes the place of processed sugars while the onion rounds out the flavor and makes it savory enough to go perfectly with pork or poultry. Paired with poultry or pork, caramelized yams or marshmallow-dotted sweet potatoes can’t hold a candle to it.

Today is the one-year anniversary of my now famous #mealprep post that brought so many of you to this site. And while I haven’t yet given you more neatly packaged meal plans, I hope that you have enjoyed recipes like these which compose great meals. There are so many more unpredictable, affordable, healthy and delectable recipes to come! #cooksavethrive

Always look for squash that is heavy for its size.

After peeling the squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.

You could roast anything with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and it would turn out amazing.

Leave the apple and onion pieces a bit larger than the squash because they’re softer and will cook more quickly. You want those sugars to break down and caramelize but not blacken in the pan.

A quick cool then puree is all it takes. I use my immersion blender for everything because my food processor is ancient, but you could even use a potato masher to get the job done in a pinch.

Et voilà! Phenomenal looking, and tasting, butternut squash and apple puree. Pack this for lunch or serve it at an elegant dinner party – it’s got the flavor and style to be perfect for any occasion this winter.

Let me know if you give this a try by hashtagging your posts with #cooksavethrive. Let’s start a movement!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Puree

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 2-3 pound butternut squash
• 1 sweet apple such as Braeburn
• 1 small onion
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°. Peel butternut squash, scoop out seeds, and cut into 1" cubes. Core the apple and chop into about 8 large chunks. Cut onion into similarly large chunks. Put everything on a large baking sheet or roasting pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Toss with olive oil. Roast for about 25 minutes, until tender, stirring and flipping halfway through.
• Allow fruit to cool for a few minutes. Puree with a food processor, blender or immersion blender and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or cover and reheat in the microwave when ready to eat.