Winter squash and peas is a creamy mash of roasted butternut squash topped with buttery peas for a super flavorful combination! A great fall and winter veggie side dish.
It seemed a little strange not to watch football this past weekend since it's the off week before the big game. My hometown team, the Carolina Panthers, have been a serious fixture in our house.
M knows it’s game day on Sundays and dresses in her Panthers jersey as soon as she wakes up.
The kids don’t really get to see most of the games — they’re either napping or in bed at night — but I love her enthusiasm.
She adores Cam Newton or “Camy.” (That’s whose jersey she has. And not a pink one, thank you. She wears a regular black-and-blue jersey.)
And it’s obviously worked. My little ones have pulled us into the Superbowl and I’m seriously so excited.
But on to the food...
I’ve been testing and tasting and having a ball in the kitchen lately. So much yumminess!
If only I could eat more meals every day to be able to make all the food I want to share with you all.
(And if you’re not signed up for my free e-newsletter, go do that now. I will wait. And psst, you even get a free e-cookbook of Easy Weeknight Dinners as a thank you!)
Alas, I will have to take it one dish at a time. Starting with this one...
Roasted, mashed butternut squash is so tender, so soft, and so melt-in-your-mouth delicious when you’ve also got the butter, Greek yogurt and onion flavors mixed in. Serious flavor bomb.
And then it's topped with buttery peas and it just keeps getting shoveled into my mouth.
I love that the peas add such bright green color and also a little pop of freshness to contrast the creamy winter squash.
So let's get cooking!
Recipe Notes:
- Butternut Squash: You'll want a medium to large butternut squash for this recipe. It needs to be peeled, halved and the seeds and membranes removed, then cut into ½ cubes that will bake in the oven. Some grocery stores sell pre-cut squash, and you could certainly substitute that as well.
- Greek Yogurt: You need plain Greek yogurt for this. A non-fat, 2% or 5% yogurt are all fine. You could also substitute sour cream if you prefer.
- Peas: I use and prefer frozen green peas for this recipe. If you like canned peas better, feel free to substitute that.
- Leftovers: Leftovers, once cooled, can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Fun fact: This recipe is adapted from an old church holiday cookbook I picked up at a used bookstore in Asheville, N.C. I had the best time browsing in there.
Just the smell of old books makes me feel so calm and happy.
I like how this winter squash dish could certainly be festive enough for a holiday table but it's also really simple to prepare.
You could even sub some frozen pureed winter squash (like I use in my butternut squash brown rice) and just warm and season it up according to the recipe below.
I prefer roasting the squash here, but I won’t tell if you want to take that shortcut - it would make this pretty much a 10-minute recipe.
Whatever it takes to get dinner on the table sometimes, am I right? 😉
So let's enjoy ALL the winter squash while we've got them. And go Panthers!
XO,
Kathryn
Winter Squash and Peas
Ingredients
- 3 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeds and membranes removed and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (see notes)
- ½ cup onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (10 oz.) package frozen green peas
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- dash of black pepper
- dash of nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place cubed butternut squash in greased casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper and dot the tops with 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces.
- Bake, covered, for 45 minutes at 375, until very tender.
- Mash the butternut squash until almost completely smooth. A little texture is OK but you don’t want big chunks.
- Stir in greek yogurt and onion. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Cook peas according to package directions. Season with remaining tablespoon of butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Place squash into a serving dish and make a small well in the center. Place peas in the well and serve hot.
Kate @ Framed Cooks
I could eat a heaping bowl of this for dinner all by itself - looks like perfect wintertime comfort food! And we'll be pulling for the Panthers - our daughter lives right outside of Raleigh!
Kathryn
It really is great cold-weather comfort in a bowl 🙂 And so glad you have a Panthers connection!
AiPing | Curious Nut
I've never made winter squash before but I think it's high time I should. This looks absolutely delicious.
Kathryn
You will absolutely love it! It's so delicious and can be used in so many ways!
Kathrina
What an interesting and delicious sounding recipe! I'm definitely going to give this combination a try, and I'll be calling it "Supergoal" from now on too, since that's probably the most adorable thing ever!
Kathryn
Haha, thanks Kathrina! And yes, this combination is definitely fabulous together - hope you try it!
Justine
I have never mashed squash, I will have to try this out next time.
Kathryn
Oh you'll love it Justine! It becomes so creamy and smooth!
Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry
Kathryn, you've done it again! Love this side dish. We don't have a vegetable called butternut squash here in Australia per se, but from your photos it looks like what we would just call pumpkin. And I love pumpkin!! Especially when it's creamy, buttery, yoghurty and oniony all at the same time... 😀
Kathryn
It is pretty close to pumpkin (which I'm also obsessed with!) and once roasted up I'm sure it would be a lovely substitution here. Hope you give it a try!!
Kavey
I love butternut squash and we grow our own too but I've never thought to try it mashed. I will now!
Kathryn
I've been SO into butternut squash this winter. Very cool that you grow your own! You should definitely try it mashed - it turns out so velvety and creamy 🙂
Sonal
Oh Kathryn! What a comforting meal! Buttery and warm. Butternut squash and peas make a good team :). That super goal is adorbs! 😉❤️
Kathryn
Thanks Sonal 🙂 And yes, butternut squash and peas really do go so well together!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Yay Panthers! #KeepPounding! Excited for the big game this weekend and I LOVE that we will be rooting for the same team! *fist bumb* I LOVE LOVE LOVE mashed butternut squash, I ate it a few weeks straight for every meal a while back. (I get on a roll and can't stop with some things). So I am loving this one, Kathryn! The peas on top are just perfect! Totally trying this soon! Cheers, friend! <3
Kathryn
M's class has been splitting up and half say "Keep" and the other half respond "Pounding" - love it! I'm totally in a butternut squash phase - can't get enough of it this year. Glad I'm not the only one who gets stuck on a favorite food. 😉
Adina
That looks so delicious, I thought it was polenta at first, but squash sounds even better.
Kathryn
Haha 🙂 The squash is lovely and so creamy!
karrie@TastyEverAfter
Too cute about M wearing her Camy jersey and saying it's the Supergoal! That almost makes me want to root for the Panthers...just kidding! lol! Just bought a huge butternut squash at the store so will try your recipe with it. Yummy 🙂
Kathryn
Almost, but not quite huh? How about her cheering, "Charlotte, Charlotte, what's our goal? We're going to win the Superbowl!" That's their cheer for the preschool pep rally today 🙂 Oh well, at least I converted you with the recipe - hope you love this combination!
Rahul @samosastreet.com
So smooth, creamy and comforting!
Kathryn
Thanks! It really is 🙂
Frugal Hausfrau
What a seriously delish looking way to serve butternut squash! I bet even those who are a bit iffy about it would love this! Thanks for sharing this with us on Throwback Thursday! Hope to see you next week!
Kathryn
It really is a whole new different way to enjoy this squash, which I love any ole way but it's so super creamy and delicious when baked with butter then mashed with yogurt! Thanks for hosting!
Smitha
Creamy and comforting. The way i wanted
Kathryn
Totally with you on that 😉 Thanks Smitha!