ABC Kitchen’s Butternut Squash on Toast Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Serves a Crowd

by: Kenzi Wilbur

October1,2014

4.5

10 Ratings

ABC Kitchen’s Butternut Squash on Toast Recipe on Food52 (1)

Serves Serves 4 to 6, with leftover squash

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Author Notes

This recipe’s bones come from ABC Kitchen in New York, and it’s too good not to share here. I’ve adapted it a bit, both in cooking method and in type of squash -- feel free to roast your squash instead of the way I do it, and also feel free to swap in another kind of winter squash. No one will be worse off for it. Whatever you do, don’t forget the chile -- without it, the squash tends to skew sweet. —Kenzi Wilbur

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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ABC Kitchen’s Butternut Squash onToast

Ingredients

one 3-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
¹/₂ cupextra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
¹/₂ teaspoondried chile flakes, more to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
1 yellow onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
¹/₄ cupapple cider vinegar
¹/₄ cupmaple syrup
1 large loaf of Pugliese, or smaller, thick slices country bread
1 heaping cup ricotta
Flaky salt, for finishing
¹/₄ cupchopped mint

Directions

Dump the squash into a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, add a 1/4 cup of olive oil, the chile flakes, and a hefty, 3-finger pinch of salt. Place the pan over medium-high heat, and cover it. Cook until the squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, lifting the lid occasionally to stir. (As per Amanda Hesser's method, the idea is that the squash quickly sauté and steam.) Adjust the heat if necessary so the squash doesn’t burn. (Alternatively, you can roast your squash at 425° F until tender.)
While the squash is cooking, make the onion jam: In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil over medium heat, and add the onions, stirring, and cook until they begin to soften and darken, about 15 minutes. Add the vinegar and syrup, and reduce until everything is jammy. Depending on the surface area of your pan, this could take as little as 15 minutes or as long as 30. When it looks as though it’s ready to be spread on toast and it tastes tart-sweet, it’s ready.
Add the onion mixture to the cooked squash, stirring gently so as to preserve a few chunks of squash. Taste, and season with salt or more chile if needed -- the mixture should have a nice heat.
Cut your loaf of bread in half along its equator, and lightly toast the bottom half. (If you’re using smaller slices, don’t worry about this step!) Save the top for all manner of things: breadcrumbs, croutons, cheese…
Spread a thick layer of ricotta on the bread, and then the same of the squash-onion mixture. Sprinkle with a bit of flaky salt and a bit of olive oil, then scatter the chopped mint on top.

Tags:

Sandwich
Toast
American
Vegetable
Mint
Vinegar
Serves a Crowd
Fall
Winter
Christmas
Thanksgiving
Appetizer

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26 Reviews

ARay May 10, 2020

Utter perfection. This method of doing squash on the stove is genius--a repeat! I agree with the reviewer below who mentions maybe dropping the olive oil a wee bit, and, I skipped the drizzle entirely and it was outrageously good. I also think it can take being very heavy-handed with the red pepper flakes. I swapped mint for sage and it was delightful.

Kenzi W. November 15, 2016

Here for you :)

Cheryl November 13, 2016

Totally delicious. Can't wait for a second serving. I already had roasted Delicata squash in the refrig. Made the onion jam and subbed Agave for maple syrup. Next time I would use just 1 Tbsp. Agave. Put red pepper flakes in the onion jam and when done, mixed in the squash to heat it. I had vegan cashew cream/creme fraiche previous prepared so used that for the cheese. No mint, which I'm sure would be good. I read that sliced green onions would be good to sprinkle on top. My bread was GF: Whole Foods Prarie Bread, which is substantial when toasted. Yum!

Cheryl November 13, 2016

Oh dear. I posted this in the wrong recipe: meant to post in: ABC Kitchen’s Butternut Squash on Toast

Cheryl December 6, 2016

Next time I would caramelize onions in about 2 Tbsp oil and cook on low heat.

Amanda N. October 5, 2016

Anybody have any ideas of a vegan substitute that would work instead of the ricotta? Thanks!

Cheryl November 13, 2016

I know there are commercially prepared vegan cheeses, including ricotta. You can also make your own cashew cream or cashew creme fraiche (I probably got this from somewhere on this site).
2 cups raw cashews
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1.the day before using, put the cashews in a bowl and add enough cold water to cover them. Cover and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
2.Drain the soaked cashews, rinse under cold water and drain again.
3.Transfer to a blender. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, water and salt and process until smooth. The mixture will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I find it is better the next day when flavors have blended.

Erika M. November 23, 2015

I love this recipe! I made loads of it as a snack/side dish for a party—it looked and tasted professional. Leftovers for breakfast? Yes, please.

andrea S. January 5, 2015

This is nearly the same as SmittenKitchen's recipe, however she roasts in the oven for a good carmalized flavor. Yours and her pictures are even very similar (I thought this was a link to her recipe at first)

Kenzi W. January 5, 2015

Hi Andrea,
This recipe actually comes from neither of us -- it's from Dan Kluger at ABC Kitchen, with very slight adaptations. And it's been circling the internet for quite some time now -- we're both just faithful toast disciples.

sarah S. December 31, 2014

This is so yummy! But, after having made it, I think that there is way too much oil in it. I would recommend roasting the squash in the oven instead, so that you seriously cut down on the oil level.

Smaug November 11, 2016

No reason you couldn't do it stovetop with much less oil- you might have to be a little more careful about the temperature.

Rachel C. December 20, 2014

This is the best. I made it for dinner for 2 of us and it lasted for a few meals, getting better each tip. About to make it on small toasts for a party!

Natalie B. December 2, 2014

Soooo good!

chez_mere November 8, 2014

Just made this and wow!! Loved it. I couldn’t make up my mind on what cheese to use, so I stirred a little feta into my whole-milk ricotta (I’ve finally come to realize it isn’t worth it to buy anything else), along with just a wee bit of fresh sage. It is a squash dish after all! Excellent meal for the harried med student, and a nice addition to my collection of “Things on Toast for Dinner” recipes

lydiaencyclopda October 28, 2014

Made this for dinner recently and drizzled chile oil on top. Later I repurposed the leftover squash in The Minimalist Baker's vegan pot pie recipe -- it was absolutely delicious with a nice kick. This is a recipe worth writing down for the recipe box.

LauriL October 26, 2014

I hate when squash skews sweet...chile flakes are my friend(s).

jamcook October 1, 2014

Hi Kenzi, I can't wait to try this. Martha Stewart has a similar recipe called "Spicy Squash Pasta" which is served over spaghetti ( which is sort of like toast, right? ) with some ricotta on the side. Toast is ,of coarse, a crunchier profile.