Irresistible Savory Butternut Squash Pie: An Easy Puff Pastry Delight
As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, there’s a certain comfort in bringing warm, hearty, and visually stunning dishes to the table. This time of year calls for cozy flavors, and nothing says autumn quite like the sweet, earthy notes of butternut squash. While many think of squash in sweet desserts, we’re taking a delightful detour into the savory realm with a spectacular pie that’s as impressive to look at as it is easy to make and delicious to eat.
You might wonder, “Is it a pie? Is it a giant pastry?” Let’s call it what it is: a magnificent savory tart, perfect for any occasion. This recipe takes the beloved concept of our smaller butternut squash hand pies and elevates it into a grand, shareable centerpiece. It’s designed to bring joy to your kitchen and ‘wow’ your guests without the fuss typically associated with elaborate baking projects.
The Magic of Puff Pastry: Your Culinary Shortcut
One of the true heroes of this recipe is a simple kitchen shortcut: frozen puff pastry. Forget the hours of chilling and folding required for homemade pie dough. This readily available ingredient thaws quickly – often in the same amount of time it takes to prepare the savory vegetable filling. It not only saves you significant time and effort but also guarantees a beautifully golden, flaky, and impossibly light crust that will impress everyone.
Puff pastry is a game-changer for those who love homemade flavors but appreciate efficiency. Its delicate, airy layers bake up to a stunning volume, creating a rustic yet elegant presentation that makes this savory butternut squash pie a showstopper. It’s the secret to achieving a gourmet look and taste with minimal fuss, making it accessible even for novice bakers.
A Symphony of Fall Flavors: Butternut Squash, Radicchio, and Feta
This savory pie is a beautiful medley of textures and tastes, designed to tantalize your palate. The heart of the filling is roasted butternut squash and shallots. Roasting the squash brings out its natural sweetness and a delicate caramelization, while the shallots transform into tender, deeply flavored, and subtly sweet morsels. This crucial step not only enhances their flavor but also reduces moisture, which is key to preventing a soggy crust and ensuring a perfectly balanced pie.
Complementing these autumnal stars are thinly sliced radicchio and crumbled feta cheese. The radicchio, a member of the chicory family, introduces a wonderfully unique, slightly bitter note that might seem unexpected but is a stroke of culinary genius. As it bakes with the warm, roasted vegetables, its bitterness mellows considerably, contributing a sophisticated depth to the pie. This intriguing contrast is perfectly balanced by the salty, tangy creaminess of the feta cheese, creating a harmonious flavor profile that is both comforting and exciting. A touch of balsamic vinegar rounds out the flavors, adding a subtle acidity that brightens the entire dish.
This combination makes the savory butternut squash pie incredibly versatile. It’s elegant enough to serve as a stunning brunch center-piece, a satisfying vegetarian main course for a festive dinner (think Thanksgiving!), or a unique side dish that will stand out from the usual holiday fare. Its rich, complex flavors make it a perfect addition to any fall or winter meal.
Crafting Your Perfect Pie: Assembly Made Easy
While this butternut squash pie looks like something that took hours to prepare, its assembly is surprisingly straightforward. The key is in preparing your components efficiently and handling the puff pastry correctly. Roasting the butternut squash and shallots ahead of time not only concentrates their flavors but also reduces excess moisture, which is vital for achieving a crisp, non-soggy bottom crust – because, let’s face it, no one likes a soggy-bottomed pie!
Creating the beautiful lattice top is simpler than it appears and serves a dual purpose: it adds an elegant visual flourish and allows steam to escape during baking. This venting prevents the pastry from becoming waterlogged, ensuring a perfectly flaky and golden-brown crust every time. We’ve included step-by-step photos below to guide you through the process, making it virtually foolproof.
Expert Tips for Working with Puff Pastry Dough:
Working with puff pastry is simple, but a few key practices will ensure your pie turns out perfectly flaky and golden every time. Remember, the goal is to keep the butter in the pastry cold so it melts and creates those distinctive layers during baking.
- Read the recipe thoroughly and work quickly: Heat is puff pastry’s greatest enemy, as it causes the butter to melt prematurely, which can prevent the desired flaky layers from forming.
- Keep it chilled: If your dough starts to feel warm or soft at any point during preparation, immediately place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill it in the refrigerator or freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before continuing. This helps maintain its delicate structure.
- Roll with care: Use a ruler to help guide you as you roll the dough from the center outwards in gentle, short strokes. Continuously rotate and flip the dough to prevent it from sticking to your work surface. A lightly floured surface is your friend here.
- Brush off excess flour: Before filling the pastry, use a pastry brush to remove any excess flour from the dough. Too much flour can make the pastry tough and interfere with its flakiness.
- Preheat thoroughly and egg wash for perfection: Always preheat your oven for at least 20 minutes before baking. Just before baking, brush the top crust with an egg and milk wash. This simple step is crucial for achieving that beautiful, shiny, golden-brown crust and enhances the overall presentation.
Unlock New Flavors: Creative Variations
The beauty of this butternut squash pie recipe lies in its adaptability. It’s an excellent foundation that can be easily customized to suit your preferences or whatever ingredients you have on hand. When experimenting, always consider the moisture content of your substitutions – drier ingredients work best to keep the pastry crisp.
Consider swapping feta for other savory cheeses like goat cheese (for a creamy tang), crumbled blue cheese (for a bolder flavor), or even shredded Gruyère or Parmesan for a nutty, melty layer. Fresh herbs are another easy way to switch things up; try fresh sage, thyme, or a blend of Italian herbs instead of rosemary. For an extra layer of flavor and texture, you could add toasted walnuts or pecans to the filling, or even some cooked, crumbled bacon or sausage if you’re not keeping it strictly vegetarian. Experiment with adding other roasted vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini (ensure they are well-drained), or even some sautéed mushrooms for an umami boost. The possibilities are endless!
Serving Suggestions & Storage
This savory butternut squash pie is best served warm, sliced into generous squares. It pairs beautifully with a simple green salad dressed with a light vinaigrette, or a cup of your favorite autumnal soup. For a more substantial meal, serve it alongside roasted chicken or pork. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and reheated gently in the oven to restore the crispness of the pastry.
This savory butternut squash pie is a delightful celebration of fall flavors, combining ease of preparation with stunning results. It’s a dish that promises comfort, elegance, and incredible taste, making it a perfect addition to your seasonal cooking repertoire. Give it a try, and let its wonderful flavors bring warmth and cheer to your table!
Butternut Squash Pie with Shallots, Radicchio, and Feta
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Equipment
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Half Sheet Pan
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Natural Parchment Paper
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 1 (17.3 oz) box frozen puff pastry both sheets thawed according to package directions
- unbleached all-purpose flour for dusting
For the Filling:
- 1 medium butternut squash (roughly 2½ lbs) peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 4 medium shallots (roughly 8 oz) sliced into quarters
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary optional
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small head radicchio (roughly 8 oz) thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
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Place the box of puff pastry on the countertop to thaw at room temperature while you prepare the filling (see note). Once the dough has thawed, transfer to the refrigerator and keep chilled until ready to use.
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Prepare the filling: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center position. Place the butternut squash chunks, shallot pieces, and rosemary sprigs on a sheet pan, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and toss to evenly coat. Spread the vegetables into a single layer.
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Roast, stirring and flipping the vegetables halfway through, until the squash and shallots are caramelized and tender, about 30 to 35 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprigs and transfer the roasted vegetables to a large mixing bowl (separating any large pieces of shallot), add the sliced radicchio, and balsamic vinegar and toss to evenly coat. Set aside.
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Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F (204°C). Line a second sheet pan with parchment paper (or alternatively, cool the previous sheet pan under very cold water several times, rinse, dry well, and re-use).
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Make the egg wash: Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl.
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Assemble the pie: Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Gently unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll the sheet into a 10-inch-wide by 12-inch-long rectangle. Distribute ⅔ of the roasted vegetable filling onto the pastry, leaving a ¾-inch border on all sides. Sprinkle half of the crumbled feta evenly on top of the vegetable filling, top with the remaining roasted vegetables, and the remaining cheese. Brush the borders lightly with the egg wash.
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Roll the remaining puff pastry so that it is slightly larger in size than the bottom pastry rectangle, roughly 10½ -inches-wide and 12½ -inches-long. This will help account for covering the filling. Gently fold the puff pastry sheet in half lengthwise and place it so that the short edge is facing you and the folded edge is on the right. Using a sharp knife, cut 3-inch-wide perpendicular slits, starting from the bottom, in rows 1-inch apart to create a lattice-cut pattern. You should have around 7 to 8 perpendicular slits in total. See step-by-step photos in the post above for reference.
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Carefully transfer the lattice-cut layer of pastry on top of the roasted vegetable filling, lining up the edges (avoid stretching the dough with your hands). Crimp the borders of the pie by pressing with a lightly floured fork to seal. Trim any uneven edges with a sharp knife or pastry cutter wheel. If any of the slits have overlapped onto each other, gently pull them apart to reveal the filling evenly.
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Brush the top and edges of the dough with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper. If the dough has warmed significantly, chill the pie in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes before baking.
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Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffy. Slice into squares and serve hot.
