Butternut Squash Crumble

Butternut squash can go so many places: soup, pot pie, quiche, vegetable dish or pasta. It is one of my favorite fall vegetables. Here is another idea.

David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen has a butternut squash crumble recipe that is as easy as pie. It is generally much easier and forgiving to make a crumble than a pie crust for a pie. I enjoy making this butternut squash crumble for its simplicity. Simple enough that you don’t even need to follow a recipe.

First, make the squash filling. I like getting the whole butternut squashes from Trader Joe’s (at less than $2 each) instead of the pre-cut ones. I used one 2-lb+ squash and cooked half of the recipe. Pricked the butternut surface with a fork, then placed them in the microwave oven for 2-3 minutes to soften the skin. That makes peeling and cutting into cubes so much easier. Cooked the butternut squash cubes in a large pan with olive oil and butter over medium heat. Added salt and pepper and thyme leaves for seasoning. When the squash pieces began to brown, it’s time to add the thin slices of shallots until they’re soften. Chicken stock went in last and reduced it for about 30 seconds. The filling was then ready to go into a heatproof dish to finish cooking at 375°F oven for 30 minutes.

While the squash was baking, I combined the crumble topping by hand with a pastry blender. Working with half of the recipe, it’s quicker than using and, later, cleaning up the food processor. Instead of bread crumbs, I used panko. Other ingredients, including: cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, sage leaves, sugar, salt, butter and egg, went into the mix. The crumble topped the half-baked butternut squash filling. I did not make enough of the topping; half of the recipe did not adequately cover the entire surface of the round dish. It took an additional 20 minutes at 350°F until the topping turned golden brown.

The root vegetable pot pie is one of my favorite sides in the fall. I was hoping that this crumble recipe can be a simplified version of that; and it was. Warm, filling and comforting. Crumbles probably stay crisper longer and reheat better than a pie crust. This is my first attempt at a savory crumble. I could certainly see making more vegetable (or sweet potato) crumbles in the future. I could also see making single-serve crumbles in small gratin dishes.

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