Butternut squash can be filled with a variety of ingredients, either as a stuffing cooked in the turkey or as a side dish. Vegetarian and meaty options are available, and adding extra ingredients such as nuts, ginger, or cheese can enhance the flavor. Butternut squash is also a nutritious addition to the holiday table, providing high fiber content and vitamins A and C.
Butternut squash lends itself to a wide variety of fillings. Some cooks like to create the squash stuffing that is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, while others prefer to prepare it as a side casserole. Still others use the pumpkin shell itself, creating a filling that is returned to the shell for cooking. Vegetarian and meaty options abound, and with a little seasoning savvy, the smart cook creates a pumpkin filling that will bring applause.
Butternut squash stuffing is the perfect accompaniment to turkey or ham at the holiday table, offering many nutritional benefits such as high fiber content and vitamins A and C in addition to its naturally sweet flavor. For meat eaters, there are all kinds of butternut squash options. Probably the most traditional choice is made with sausage or ground pork seasoned to taste. Sage is the go-to herb for this basic recipe, which also includes bread cubes, day-old bread, celery, and chicken broth. Most cooks also add onion.
Instead of sausage or in addition to it, some cooks use bacon, especially the kinds smoked with walnut or other flavorful woods. The bacon needs to be well cooked and drained so you don’t add too much oil and overwhelm other more delicate flavors. Pork loin, chicken or other meats can also be used.
Clever cooks often feel the need to add a thing or two that isn’t called for in the recipe, and pumpkin stuffing provides the perfect opportunity for that kind of creativity. Sliced or flamed water chestnuts add crunch, or roasted chestnuts can be used. Raisins or dried cranberries offer a different texture and pop with flavor. Even a little ginger perks up the yum brilliantly.
A particularly moist version of the butternut squash filling adds heavy cream and several eggs. This version is fluffy and light and melts like rich, golden butter in your mouth. Adding some cheddar or Monterey jack cheese will send diners straight to heaven.
For cooks who want to take the opportunity to rake in the fiber, the mashed pumpkin filling showcases whole-grain bread even better than white or sourdough versions. The addition of chopped nuts contributes bulk and also adds another dimension of flavor. Sesame seeds are also welcome.
In place of bread, other carbohydrates can linger. Brown rice, quinoa or barley are happy taste buddies in the casserole. An elegant, but more expensive, version of the wild rice filling is especially wonderful with ham.
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