we've hit peak butternut squash
Last week felt like the week when food media hit peak butternut squash. Every food newsletter I subscribed to was filled with butternut squash recipes. Soup! Pasta! Roasted squash! It was squash overload. New York Times Cooking declared it “butternut squash appreciation month” and sent out several newsletters entirely filled with butternut squash recipes. Jenny Rosentrach of Dinner: A Love Story shared her butternut squash soup recipe, which she said she makes dozens of batches of every fall. Ruth Reichl, who is also now on Substack, shared a recipe for roasted butternut squash with apple cider syrup. Bon Appetit has a roundup of 37 butternut squash recipes to cook all through fall.
To be clear, I’m not hating. I love a good butternut squash recipe. I instantly bookmarked several of these recipes as they landed in my inbox; this week, I made this butternut squash pasta with bacon and parmesan and also roasted acorn squash as part of a sheet pan dinner. I have already turned my seven-month-old kid into a roasted butternut squash enthusiast. I am absolutely guilty of participating in butternut squash mania too.
However, it made me wonder how butternut squash became the It Vegetable of fall. There are lots of other vegetables in season: pumpkin, sweet potato, apples, pears, beets, brussels sprouts. And there are so many other kinds of winter squash, too: kabocha, delicata, acorn, spaghetti, honeynut, and others. But butternut squash feels like it has been anointed the queen of the season. Search interest in butternut squash is far higher than any other type of winter squash; you see far fewer recipes for kabocha or acorn squash. Why is butternut squash the one we collectively obsess over every fall?
I asked a couple of food writer friends for their take. What came up repeatedly: it’s mild in flavor, appeals to pretty much any palate, and is endlessly adaptable for any type of recipe. It’s also easier to break down and prepare — or buy pre-cut — making it more accessible than many other types of squash.
“Butternut squash is a pretty easy to like food—it's sweet and takes well to many types of seasonings. It can also go into so many dishes, from mac and cheese to soup to risotto. I think it's the perfect savory mascot for the season—pumpkin gets the sweet fanfare and butternut squash is the savory MVP,” says Abigail Koffler, who writes the food newsletter This Needs Hot Sauce.
My friend Emily Saladino, a food writer and editor, agrees: “I think butternut squash checks a lot of boxes for the ways a lot of people cook,” Saladino said. “It’s affordable but also seems kind of luxurious—there’s a lot of squash in each squash! Plus, it’s hardy and suited to vegetarian and vegan meals, but also works well with animal proteins if that’s your thing.”
I have to agree about its versatility. The wide range of things you can do with butternut squash is a big part of its appeal, from roasting to mixing in pastas to pureeing into soups or incorporating into lasagna or mac and cheese or chili. It’s hard to think of any other vegetable that can be used in so many different ways.
“The fall vegetable options are more limited so there's less competition than summer when berries and tomatoes and stone fruit and corn all vie for top billing,” Koffler added. “But, again, the squash is comforting and usually part of very cozy recipes. The flavor on its own isn't super strong (brussels sprouts are more polarizing) so it can really be everywhere.”
“Butternut also might be a gateway squash—you might get into cooking with it and then try honeynut or more heirloom squash,” Koffler adds. This is probably true! While it’s not totally easy to peel and breakdown a butternut squash, it’s easier than most other types of squash. (My best recs: get a cheap but amazing Kuhn Rikon peeler and make sure you have a good, sharp chef’s knife!) And, importantly, it’s also pretty easy to find pre-cut butternut squash cubes at the grocery store.
If you love butternut squash: I’m with you! I still plan to make this spicy butternut squash pasta this season and maybe this brown butter orzo with butternut squash. I am still debating what squash dish I’ll make for Thanksgiving. But I’d also suggest that it’s not the only delicious fall squash out there. Two of my other favorites are kabocha and delicata, both of which have their own delicious, unique flavor. If you feel like branching out, might I suggest simmered kabocha squash or this delicious-sounding delicata squash salad?
Good things to read
Can you get ahead and still have a life? Younger women are trying to find out, Wall Street Journal.
Welcome to hell, Elon, The Verge.
Gabrielle Blair would like a word with men, New York Times. Design Mom!
Babies don’t need fancy things, The Atlantic.
Burned out on your personal brand, New York Times.
Was the future ever boundless?, Gloria. An excerpt from Nora McInerney’s new book.
Welcome to geriatric social media, Galaxy Brain.
Restaurants have a pacing problem, Grubstreet.
Tiktok and the elusive promise of reality, Maybe Baby. “Mundanity porn” is a great term for the random, banal things we all love watching on Tiktok.
The galvanizing body horror of Heidi Klum’s worm costume, The New Yorker.
Everybody wants to be a LinkedInfluencer, Vox.
Why we love apple cider donuts, Thrillist. An ode to another fall classic.
Good things to cook
Some things I’ve cooked recently: sheet pan gochujang chicken and vegetables. Cauliflower and lentil curry (I skipped the butternut squash noodles and just served it with quinoa). Butternut squash pasta with bacon and parmesan.
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