37 Healthy Butternut Squash Recipes (2024)

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There are more healthy butternut squash recipes than what meets the eye. Find unique takes like burrito bowls and classics like squash soup.

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Winter Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie

We seem to eat for comfort during the holidays…but comfort foods aren’t necessarily healthy. To make a classic comfort food dish more healthy, I came up with this lovely take: Turkey shepherd’s pie. It’s perfect for putting out on your holiday table. —Ann Sheehy, Lawrence, Massachusetts

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Here are some other ways to love baked butternut squash.

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Butternut Squash Jumble

I took this to a Thanksgiving dinner one year when I couldn’t go home for the holiday, and it was a huge hit. It’s something different without being too nontraditional. It’s also good at room temperature, so it’s one less thing to worry about when you’re trying to figure out serving times. I like Gorgonzola for this, but any blue cheese would work. If you can find the precrumbled cheese, even better. —Kara Brocious, Indianapolis, Indiana

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Butternut Squash Chili

Add butternut squash to chili for a tasty, filling, energy-packed dish your whole family will love. Mine does! —Jeanne Larson, Mission Viejo, California

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Fall Vegetable Sloppy Joes

I make this dish in the fall and sneak grated vegetables into the sloppy joe mixture, which is especially good for children who don’t like to eat their vegetables! Just walk away and let the slow cooker do all the work. Top the filling with a little shredded cheese before serving. —Nancy Heishman, Las Vegas, Nevada

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Butternut Squash Panzanella Salad

This colorful salad is easy to make—and it’s even easier if you use precut chunks of butternut squash. You can use pecans in place of the almonds or watercress instead of the arugula or spinach. —Nancy Buchanan, Costa Mesa, California

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Butternut Squash Burrito Bowl

This butternut squash burrito bowl is an easy-to-prep dinner that combines fresh ingredients with wholesome convenience foods. It comes together in just minutes and can be customized with everyone’s favorite toppings. —Patricia Kukuc, Clearwater, Florida

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Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

Apple and winter squash are fantastic together. They are the perfect pair for this cozy, vegan butternut squash soup recipe. For a slightly different flavor that still features classic fall produce, substitute a ripe pear for the apple. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos

Spicy butternut squash makes a terrific base for these vegetarian tacos. I’m always looking for quick and nutritious weeknight dinners for my family, and this dish is delicious! —Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grove, Utah

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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds

We had left over roasted butternut squash one night, so I threw it on a salad and topped it with cheese. My family loved it! Since then we added caramelized pumpkin seeds (my brother’s idea) and a homemade dressing. —Nicole Sadowsky, Rancho Santa Fe, California

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Curry Pomegranate Protein Bowl

This recipe is simple and beautiful. It uses a lot of unique flavors that, when blended together, create an out-of-this-world taste sensation. You can substitute other roasted, salted nuts for the soy nuts and can use warmed berry jam in place of the molasses. —Mary Baker, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

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Butternut Squash and Barley Soup

I love to use my garden produce in this veggie-packed soup. Serve it with oatmeal dinner rolls and you have a delicious, healthy dinner. —Julie Sloan, Osceola, Indiana

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Orzo with Caramelized Butternut Squash and Bacon

When my garden produced a bumper crop of butternut squash, I made multiple new dishes to use up my bounty! This is a tasty, easy side with pretty colors, and it makes plenty to fill your hungry family. To make it into a main, add shrimp or shredded chicken. —Kallee Krong-McCreery, Escondido, California

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Slow-Cooker Thai Butternut Squash Peanut Soup

This seemingly exotic dish is simple, vegan, healthy and hearty. The peanut butter blends beautifully with the sweetness of the squash and Thai seasonings. You can also serve this soup without pureeing it first. —Kayla Capper, Ojai, California

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Whenever I see butternut squash at the supermarket, I buy one. It’s amazing tossed with earthy quinoa, Italian spices and crunchy pine nuts. And don’t get me started on the browned butter! Yum. —Carly Taylor, Libertyville, Illinois

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Pressure-Cooker Chickpea Tagine

While traveling through Morocco, my wife and I fell in love with the complex flavors of the many tagines we tried, so we came up with this no-fuss dish. It’s great alongside grilled fish, or add shredded cooked chicken in the last 10 minutes for a change-of-pace entree. —Raymond Wyatt, West St. Paul, Minnesota

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Honey-Thyme Butternut Squash

This golden, honey-sweetened squash is just as hearty and comforting as your favorite potato dish. With its bright color, it makes an attractive side for special autumn meals. —Bianca Noiseux, Bristol, Connecticut

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Easy Moroccan Chickpea Stew

When I’m invited to a party, I easily double or triple this healthy vegetarian recipe to treat the group to an exotic dish of enticing, bold flavors. —Heather Demeritte, Scottsdale, Arizona

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Butternut Squash Soup with Cinnamon

The golden color, smooth and creamy texture and wonderful taste of this soup make it a welcome addition to a chilly fall day. It has a slightly tangy flavor from the gingerroot, and the sweet cinnamon really comes through. —Jackie Campbell, Stanhope, New Jersey

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Easy Grilled Squash

This is grilled butternut squash recipe is one of my favorite ways to cook with fresh produce. I usually make it when I am grilling steak or chicken. —Esther Horst, Monterey, Tennessee

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Sausage-Stuffed Butternut Squash

Load butternut squash shells with an Italian turkey sausage and squash mixture for a quick and easy meal. Even better, it’s surprisingly low in calories. —Katia Slinger, Columbus, Georgia

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Cranberry Roasted Squash

I created this recipe one day when I wanted a warm, fragrant side dish. The aroma of the squash and cranberries cooking in the oven is just as heavenly as the taste itself. —Jamillah Almutawakil, Superior, Colorado

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Golden Butternut Squash Soup

I created this soup for my vegan relatives for Christmas Eve, but everyone ended up loving it, too! It’s so creamy and delicious. —Susan Sabia, Windsor, California

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Wilted Spinach Salad with Butternut Squash

Make quick work of peeling butternut squash. First, prick it with a fork and give it 45 seconds in the microwave. Then, trim an inch from the base of the squash, making it stand up straight and tall while you run the peeler from top to bottom. —Margee Berry, White Salmon, Washington

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Brown Rice and Vegetables

This filling rice dish, full of big chunks of butternut squash and sweet potatoes, is a standout combination of sweet and savory flavors. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Vegetable Lentil Soup

Here’s a healthy slow-cooker soup that’s ideal for vegetarians and those watching their weight. Butternut squash and lentils make it hearty, while herbs and other veggies round out the flavor. —Mark Morgan, Waterford, Wisconsin

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Slow-Cooker Tzimmes

This slow-cooker tzimmes is a sweet Jewish dish consisting of a variety of fruits and vegetables, and it may or may not include meat. Traditionally (as it is here), it’s tossed with honey and cinnamon and cooked slowly over low heat to meld the flavors. —Lisa Renshaw, Kansas City, Missouri

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Lasagna gets fresh flavor and color when you make it with roasted butternut squash, portobello mushrooms, basil and spinach. We feast on this. —Edward and Danielle Walker, Traverse City, Michigan

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Butternut Turkey Soup

Although chock-full of lots of nutritious vegetables and turkey, this soup is also light on calories. —Denise LaRoche, Hudson, New Hampshire

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Roasted Fall Vegetables

I love serving this tender veggie side dish as part of a comforting dinner on a chilly night. The cayenne pepper lends zippy flavor that’s not overpowering. —Juli Meyers, Hinesville, Georgia

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Taste of Home

Colorful Minestrone

Butternut squash, a leek and fresh kale make my minestrone different from most others. Not only do ingredients like this help keep the fat grams down, but they create a lovely blend of flavors.—Tiffany Anderson-Taylor, Gulfport, Florida

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Some people like squash, some people like potatoes. Mash the two together and you’ve got true love. This is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies.—Jasmine Rose, Crystal Lake, Illinois

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Chicken with Curry Roasted Squash

This chicken butternut squash curry is very flavorful and full of protein, fiber and phytonutrients. The addition of the apricots adds a mild sweetness to the dish. —Sharon Collison, Newark, Delaware

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Carrot and Kale Vegetable Saute

Thanks to fresh veggie dishes like this one, I almost forget I’m wheat- and gluten-free. Bacon adds another layer of flavor and depth to this gorgeous side dish. —Darla Andrews, Schertz, Texas

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Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

I got this golden soup recipe from a friend. Sometimes I add a few slices of red pepper to change up the flavor a bit. —Pat Roberts, Thornton, Ontario

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Butternut Squash with Whole Grains

Fresh thyme really shines in this hearty slow-cooked side dish featuring tender butternut squash, nutritious whole grain pilaf and vitamin-packed baby spinach. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Company Turkey Potpie

Here’s our smart spin on potpie, filled with turkey, autumn vegetables and a creamy herb sauce. Best of all, there’s no crust to make—just top with prepared phyllo dough. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Christina is a Social Media Editor for Taste of Home. She enjoys trying out local restaurants and coffeehouses and adding copious amounts of garlic and cheese to any recipe she can get her hands on. In her free time, you can find her hunting down one-of-a-kind furniture pieces at thrift and vintage stores and DIYing trendy home decor crafts.