Winter Squash Puree
Pumpkin, butternut, acorn, delicata… you can use just about any winter squash for making a puree.
I started making my own pumpkin puree when I lived in France. The canned version wasn’t available, which meant getting any pumpkin pie fix required a DIY version. I entirely understand how fantastic the simplicity of a can is, but the flavor of the homemade version means that I have never turned back, and have since expanded the puree game to all kinds of winter squash varieties.
Skin on or off? Whether or not you eat winter squash peel is mostly a question of textural preference. Since you’re pureeing roasted squash, I almost always just leave the skin on and let the food processor do the work of mixing it all in - I don’t find the peel to be noticeable, except for maybe a few darker flecks sometimes. I’ll make an exception if the skin feels particularly tough and thick.
What to do with your winter squash puree? Some ideas:
Pie, so much pie
Make a hummus or dip
Add to oatmeal
Use as a base for a creamy soup
Bake bread, pancakes or muffins
Fill ravioli
Mix with a little chopped garlic and olive oil and spread on rye bread
Add to macaroni and cheese
Blend with a little yogurt and use as a base on pizza dough
Winter Squash Puree
Ingredients
Any winter squash
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Wash off your winter squash, definitely if you just pulled your squash from the garden or a farm.
Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Put those aside for roasting later, if you feel like it that is.
Place the halves cut side down in a baking pan. I like to add a little water (just enough to cover the bottom) which keeps the squash from sticking while it bakes. Poke a few holes in the squash with a fork.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the squash is tender. Remove from the oven and let the squash cool (at least until it’s cool enough to handle).
Cut the squash into smaller pieces, then place in a food processor and puree until smooth. Depending on how much squash you have baked, and how large your food processor is, you may need to do this in two rounds. I can usually get a full butternut squash in mine if I am good about cutting it into small pieces first.
Once you’ve got puree, place it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The puree will store for a few days in the refrigerator.
If you want to keep the puree longer than that, store in the freezer. You can easily store in small batches, like one cup portions, to make it easy to defrost when you want to use it.
