Butternut squash is synonymous with the autumn season, but it’s actually a year-round vegetable (technically fruit, I know). We all have that favorite butternut squash soup recipe we all love, and maybe a few sauté recipes or even a grilled version, but sometimes we wonder “What else can I do with this?” If you’ve seen a blog post of mine from last summer, you’ve seen it become ice cream, but it also makes a great dip!
Recently at The Chopping Block, we had a bunch of butternut squash that needed to be used. Having no idea what I was going to make, I took one big squash, cut it in half, drizzled the halves with grapeseed oil, sprinkled on salt and pepper, then roasted them cut side down on a sheet pan at 350° for about an hour until they were soft.
While they were roasting, I thought to myself, “Okay, now what?” I looked around and saw we had some yellow curry paste. I’ve mentioned before I think the whole squash-sage-cinnamon combination is so played out, and that I love spicy flavors with squash.
So that’s when the idea of a butternut squash dip came to mind. Seeing what else was around, I grabbed a Vitamix, a small skillet, and a bunch of other ingredients and just went to town.
This dip takes about an hour to make, but most of that is just waiting for your squash to roast. It makes a lot, and it freezes very well.
Thai Curry Butternut Squash Dip
1 butternut squash, roasted (see above on directions for roasting), cooled, seeds and skins removed
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and rough chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2-3 tbsp yellow or red curry paste (double check the ingredients on curry paste, as some may have shrimp paste in it. Mae Ploy yellow curry is what I used, and it’s vegan.)
One 15-oz can coconut milk
One 15-oz can white beans (this is your thickener)
Lime juice, to taste
Soy sauce or tamari, to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
Sambal or sriracha, to taste
3 tbsp cilantro, rough chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
3 tbsp toasted peanuts, rough chopped
Heat the grapeseed oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and curry paste. Sauté until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, and add to a blender or a food processor. Add in the squash, coconut milk, white beans, lime juice, soy, sesame oil, and the sambal. Purée until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Place into a bowl, and sprinkle on cilantro, scallions, and peanuts.
When you can’t think of anything else to do with that butternut squash you have lying around, try this dip and serve it with toasted bread or pita and crudités. Your family and friends will love it (if you haven’t eaten it all by then).
If you want to learn how to make more delicious dishes that just happen to be vegan, don't miss this month's Vegan Boot Camp, a day-long dive into this type of cuisine or check out our other hands-on classes on Vegan Cooking.
