By Kate Vaynshteyn (www.babaganosh.org)
Now that fall is here, it is time to once again enjoy the sights, sounds, and, most importantly, flavors of the season. Butternut squash is one of the most iconic fall ingredients there are.Â
This cousin of the pumpkin has all the visual qualities of a fall staple with its beautiful gord appearance that looks right at home in an autumn cornucopia and its bright orange color. Not only that but with its sweet, nutty, molasses flavor it even tastes like fall. That sweetness also makes it a great pairing with beans!
In celebration of autumn, our recipe developer Kate shared with us this amazing white bean and butternut squash mash. This recipe is perfect for the season! Full of delicious and aromatic ingredients like garlic, rosemary, and thyme, this recipe is bursting with bright flavors, but perfectly balanced by the sweet and nutty squash and bean mash.
With Thanksgiving in the not too distant future, this is a great recipe to prepare for your family as a super healthy substitute for mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are amazing, that isn’t up for much debate. But the unfortunate truth is that they aren’t exactly the healthiest of side dishes. With this recipe, you get that fluffy and creamy texture you love without the super starchy potatoes and fatty butter and cream.Â
This white bean butternut squash mash is a great side dish for any fall meal with poultry or pork. To show you just how good, Kate also included a super easy recipe for honey mustard chicken thighs that go perfectly together. The zesty rub on the chicken has a fair amount of bite from the honey, mustard, and lemon juice that is an excellent ying to mash’s yang.
Ingredients
For the white bean butternut squash mash:
- 1 small butternut squash (1-1 ½ lbs)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or thyme
- 1 1/3 cups Randall Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
For the honey mustard chicken thighs:
- 2 lbs chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on (4 chicken thighs)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
- 1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil.
- Peel the butternut squash, and dice into 1-1.5 inch cubes. Place the cubed butternut squash and the garlic cloves the baking sheet, and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Make the honey mustard sauce: in a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt. Whisk together with a fork.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, rub with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Brush the seasoned chicken thighs with the honey mustard sauce. There will be leftover sauce, you’ll use it in the next step.
- Place the chicken thighs on a baking sheet next to the cubed butternut squash. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, carefully remove from the oven and brush the chicken thighs with the remaining honey mustard sauce. Add the sprig of rosemary or thyme to the baking sheet and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs is at least 165F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you prepare the white bean butternut squash mash.
- In a food processor, combine the roasted butternut squash, roasted garlic, and the leaves from the roasted rosemary or thyme sprig. Process until smooth. Add the drained white beans and process until desired smoothness. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and pulse to combine. Serve warm with roasted chicken thighs.
As a nice bonus, since you need to both roast the garlic, butternut squash, and the chicken in the oven, these two recipes are perfect for making an easy sheet pan dinner that tastes incredible without needing too much effort to make.
This recipe can easily accommodate more white beans, so feel free to use more Randall Great Northern Beans.
