Healthy Butternut Squash Recipes

Find healthy, delicious butternut squash recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Rating: Unrated
4
Layering apple slices into grilled cheese sandwiches adds a little crunch to a favorite soup dipper. And creamy butternut squash soup with ginger, cumin and turmeric is a nice change of pace from grilled cheese's usual tomato soup partner. Serve the duo for a comforting and easy weeknight dinner for the family. The soup keeps well in the fridge, so save leftovers for lunch or dinner later in the week.
By Breana Killeen

Jerk-Spiced Salmon & Quinoa Bowl with Mango Vinaigrette

Chef Millie Peartree has been feeding the community in the Bronx, where she grew up, as a private chef, caterer and restaurant owner of Millie Peartree’s Fish Fry & Soul Food for more than a decade. Her healthy-eating philosophy is all about making simple but flavorful protein-packed meals. Mango juice in the vinaigrette balances the spiced salmon and roasted vegetables on these grain bowls.

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash

Rating: Unrated
1
The sweetness of the butternut squash tames the kick from cayenne in this healthy turkey chili, making this easy crock pot chili just right for kids and adults alike, whether for weeknight dinners or tailgating parties. For those who prefer a spicier chili, just pass hot sauce at the table. This chili also freezes well, so save leftovers for hearty and healthy dinners and lunches for weeks to come.
By Katie Webster

Flat-Belly Soup

Rating: Unrated
3
This vegan soup recipe is chock-full of colorful vegetables. All those veggies give this soup plenty of fiber, upping the satisfaction factor while keeping calories low, which can aid in weight loss and lead to--yes--a flatter belly. Vibrant turmeric adds a golden color to the flavorful broth, while cumin and ginger give it a bright, fresh finish. And the best part? This healthy soup recipe takes only 20 minutes, start to finish!
By Marianne Williams

Butternut Squash Soup with Avocado & Chickpeas

Rating: Unrated
5
Jazz up a can of soup by adding protein with chickpeas and flavor with curry powder. Stir in a little Greek yogurt to make it creamy.
By Breana Killeen

Colorful Roasted Sheet-Pan Veggies

Rating: Unrated
2
These easy roasted vegetables will give your plate a pop of color. Give the cubes of butternut squash a head start for 10 minutes to soften in the oven before adding in the other veggies. The broccoli, peppers and onion are naturally more tender than the butternut squash and cook more quickly. That way everything ends up finishing at the same time.
By Katie Webster

Squash & Red Lentil Curry

Rating: Unrated
18
This healthy red lentil curry recipe has a rich flavor and complexity that tastes like it takes hours to prepare. Butternut squash and coconut milk combine with the lentils to make a hearty vegetarian dish. Serve with brown rice or naan bread.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Rating: Unrated
3
Just a touch of brown sugar sweetens this simple soup that gets its creaminess from pureed squash and fat-free evaporated milk.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Halloumi

Take advantage of healthy convenience foods, such as pureed vegetable soups, to make a healthy meal in minutes. We enhance the flavor of boxed butternut squash soup with curry powder, then top it with irresistible halloumi cheese. Serve with warm whole-grain pita bread.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Steamed Butternut Squash

Rating: Unrated
1
Butternut squash steams quickly, making this a great cooking technique to enjoy this fall vegetable as a weeknight side dish. For extra flavor, toss the steamed butternut squash with salt, pepper and a little bit of olive oil, butter or Parmesan cheese after cooking.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Tostadas

Rating: Unrated
10
The butternut squash-and-black bean base in these healthy vegetarian tostadas has a mild, sweet-spicy flavor thanks to ancho chile powder. If you can't find ancho chile powder, other mildly spicy chili powder can be used. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Vegan Chili

Rating: Unrated
2
Grab your crock pot for this hearty and easy vegan chili, which is chock-full of great-tasting and good-for-you ingredients, including pinto and black beans, red pepper, tomatoes and butternut squash. Once a little chopping is done, all you have to do is dump the ingredients in the slow cooker, making this colorful veggie chili the perfect weeknight dinner. A garnish of fresh avocado and chopped cilantro is a nice touch.
By Carolyn Casner

Inspiration and Ideas

How to Cook Butternut Squash

How to Cook Butternut Squash

How to bake, roast, sauté, steam and spiralize this versatile winter vegetable.
Butternut Squash 4 Ways

Butternut Squash 4 Ways

Use these four easy methods to cook butternut squash perfectly every time.
Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

26 Butternut Squash Recipes for Weight Loss

26 Butternut Squash Recipes for Weight Loss

25 Butternut Squash Recipes That Are Anything but Boring

25 Butternut Squash Recipes That Are Anything but Boring

11 Vegan Butternut Squash Recipes for Fall

11 Vegan Butternut Squash Recipes for Fall

Apple, Bacon & Butternut Squash Quiche

Sweet apples and butternut squash team up with savory bacon in this easy quiche recipe that's perfect for brunch or dinner with a green salad on the side.

All Healthy Butternut Squash Recipes

Sautéed Butternut Squash

Sautéeing butternut squash in olive oil quickly yields perfectly cooked results and slighly caramelizes the squash for extra flavor. This recipe makes a delicious vegetable side dish to pair with roasted meats.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Rating: Unrated
4
Skip the roasting in this butternut squash soup recipe and let your slow cooker do the work instead. Just load up all the ingredients into the crock pot, set it and forget it for an easy, healthy dinner or packable lunches.
By Carolyn Casner

Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili with Black Beans

Rating: Unrated
2
Black beans and tender, sweet butternut squash make this healthy vegetarian chili truly satisfying. Load up bowls and top with Greek yogurt, cilantro and minced red onion for game night or a Meatless Monday meal. Or skip the yogurt and keep this healthy dinner vegan.
By Katie Webster

Fall Chopped Salad with Spinach, Butternut Squash, Apples & Cheddar

Rating: Unrated
2
Who says spinach salads are only for spring? Use autumn's tender crop of fresh spinach and other seasonal vegetables to make this fall salad with roasted butternut squash, apples, cheddar and pecans. This colorful and healthy salad would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving menu, but there's no reason to save it for holidays--serve it along with chicken or pork for a healthy weeknight dinner, or turn it into a main course by adding some chickpeas or chopped chicken or turkey.
By Carolyn Casner

Vegan Mac & Cheese

Rating: Unrated
2
Mac and cheese no longer has to be off the menu if you don't do dairy. A blend of hearty cauliflower, butternut squash, cashews and nutritional yeast gives this vegan macaroni and cheese the gooey, cheesy texture and flavor of traditional mac, without a bit of dairy!
By Breana Killeen

Oven-Roasted Squash with Garlic & Parsley

Rating: Unrated
6
Winter squash becomes tender and sweeter when roasted--a delicious side for a holiday dinner. Look for interesting squash like kabocha or hubbard at your farmers' market and try them in this recipe. Recipe adapted from Alice Waters.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Butternut Squash Alfredo with Chicken & Spinach

If you're not feeling like regular pasta tonight, turn to butternut squash noodles. These delicate veggie strands are a great base for any number of sauces and toppings, like this creamy and decadent Alfredo sauce with chicken, garlic and silky spinach.
By Carolyn Casner

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Chicken Sausage & Kale

Rating: Unrated
1
What's the secret to making store-bought butternut squash ravioli even more delicious? Add apple-chicken sausage, tender greens and lots of caramelized onions. We add a bit of sugar to help the onions caramelize faster, but feel free to omit it (just cook the onions a bit longer if you do). Buy prewashed chopped kale to cut down on prep time. It all adds up to an easy dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Baked Frittata with Butternut Squash, Kale & Sage

This easy frittata recipe is full of fall flavors, thanks to creamy butternut squash, plenty of fresh sage, and earthy lacinato kale.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Slow-Cooker Italian Vegetable & Farro Soup

The farro­­an ancient whole grain rich in iron and fiber--and butternut squash make this slow-cooker soup hearty and filling. If you're looking for an easy way to work whole grains into your diet, this is it.
By Cooking Light

Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna

This delicious vegetarian lasagna recipe showcases seasonal vegetables. Butternut squash brings a sweet richness while spinach gives it a nutrition and flavor boost. As a bonus, this recipe makes an extra lasagna that you can freeze for an easy holiday-season meal.
By Joy Howard

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

This elegant and smooth squash soup recipe gives you more than your daily quota for vitamin A in just one bowl.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Noodle-Less Butternut Squash Lasagna

Rating: Unrated
1
Slices of butternut squash stand in for noodles in this veggie-packed lasagna with spinach, mushrooms and a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce. You can make the Parmesan cheese sauce with regular flour or swap in gluten-free flour to make this dish gluten-free. Look for a squash with a long, straight neck for the best results. Serve with a green salad for a vegetarian meal that you'd be happy to serve to company.
By Carolyn Casner

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Rating: Unrated
5
This silky-smooth butternut soup gets a hit of spice from chipotle, cloves and cumin. Adapted from Chef Jesús González, Chef of La Cocina Que Canta at Rancho La Puerta.
By Jesús González

Winter Cobb Salad

This seasonal twist on a traditional Cobb salad swaps in kale for lettuce and spiced butternut squash for chicken but keeps the essential avocado, blue cheese, bacon and egg.
By Adam Dolge

Squash, Chickpea & Red Lentil Stew

Rating: Unrated
15
Modeled on North African stews, this aromatic vegetarian main course can be served over brown rice or steamed spinach.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Vegetarian Gumbo

Rating: Unrated
2
This flavorful vegan dinner is a veggie version of the Louisiana classic. It's chock-full of butternut squash, tomatoes, poblano peppers and okra, to name just a few. This vegetarian gumbo is a quick dinner packed with flavor and spice that's done in only 30 minutes. To make it a meal, serve it with cornbread drizzled with olive oil.
By Robin Bashinsky

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Burrata

Rating: Unrated
4
This beautiful butternut squash salad with creamy burrata cheese and peppery arugula is perfect for fall entertaining. For the best flavor and texture, remove the burrata from the refrigerator about an hour before use and assemble the salad while the squash is still warm from roasting so the cheese will melt slightly. Feel free to use precut butternut squash to make this recipe easier. If you can find pomegranates, the arils add a bright pop of color and flavor to this healthy salad, but it's just as good--and almost as impressive-looking--without them.
By Carolyn Casner

Dijon Chicken with Roasted Broccoli & Butternut Squash

Precubed butternut squash is a timesaver in this easy baked chicken recipe. Look for it in the produce section.
By Lori Zanini RD, CDE

Apple & Pecan Stuffed Butternut Squash

Let this cute little vegetarian stuffed squash side dish steal the show at the dinner table! Butternut squash is stuffed with a sweet and savory filling that gets a crispy finish under the broiler. If you can't find small butternut squash, honeynut squash is a great alternative. Shaped much like a butternut squash (but smaller), the honeynut squash has a deep orange skin and sweet flesh.
By Karen Rankin

Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Enchiladas

Rating: Unrated
1
The butternut squash and cauliflower in these easy layered enchiladas are frozen and don't need to be thawed, making this a healthy and quick dinner. Look for canned tomatillos, sometimes labeled green tomatoes, in the international aisle of your grocery store.
By Breana Killeen

Soup Joumou

This Haitian squash soup is a classic dish served on New Year’s Day to commemorate Haiti’s independence from France on January 1, 1804. The soup is traditionally made with calabaza squash—a winter squash that is also called green pumpkin. If you can’t find calabaza, you can use butternut squash. Traditionally, the soup is made with beef, but you can substitute goat meat if preferred. If you are plant-based, a flavorful vegetarian version can be made by adding the homemade epis seasoning to the soup mixture while the vegetables are cooking. If using meat, be sure to allow it to marinate overnight for full flavor.
By Johane M. Filemon

Persian-Style Butternut Squash Soup

Rating: Unrated
1
Swap out your basic butternut squash soup for this fragrant version that includes sweet potato and a medley of spices like cinnamon, cumin, coriander and saffron. A drizzle of maple syrup and a few drops of orange water brighten the flavors, while a sprinkle of sumac adds a pop of color and a tangy edge. This healthy butternut squash soup would be a wonderful starter for your Thanksgiving meal.
By Naz Deravian

Rice Noodles with Butternut Squash & Five-Spice Shrimp

Rating: Unrated
1
Noodle dishes like this one are often served as part of a Chinese New Year's celebration to symbolize a long, healthy life. In this easy recipe, butternut squash adds another layer of meaning with a golden color evocative of a prosperous year to come.
By Raghavan Iyer
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