Butternut Squash Tart

Our Butternut Squash Tart is not only a showstopper visually, but seriously delicious as well. We take sweet butternut squash laced with brown butter and shallots, layer it on crispy puff pastry, and bake. We top it off with plenty of parmesan cheese, fried sage leaves, and flaky maldon sea salt.

Butternut Squash Tart

Pumpkin is nice, but let’s be honest here for second, is it really that delicious?  I will admit it probably reins supreme when it comes pumpkin muffins or quick breads, but when it comes to savory fall food, butternut squash is the true hero. And I’m willing to take bets our butternut squash tart with solidify my hunch.

When you take butternut squash and nestle it up against nutty brown butter and caramelized shallots, layer it on buttery puff pastry and roast it into a sweet, salty, perfectly delicious oblivion, well, gosh, does it get more victorious than that? 

Oh! Glad you asked, because it does indeed get better.

Even though the butternut squash tart is more than acceptable and straight up delicious straight from the oven, we also guild the lily by dusting it with a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese, flaked Malden sea salt, and crispy fried sage leaves. 

Serve with a big salad. Eat the whole thing by yourself. Share with your friends. Regardless of who or how you devour this butternut squash, be sure to enjoy every last morsel. 

Ingredients 

Puff pastry. Store-bought puff pastry is what makes this butternut squash tart so easy. Simply defrost the dough, roll it out, and layer ‘er up. For me, puff pastry seems a little more elevated than a traditional pie crust, and I adore all the flaky layers of dough. However, if you have a frozen pie crust in the freezer, then by all means, go ahead and use it. 

Butter. Instead of simply cooking the shallots in plain butter, we amp up the flavor by browning the butter. This not only flavors the sage and shallots, but it’s also the fat we use to roast the squash.

Sage. The combination of sage, brown butter, and butternut squash is a true classic (We use it in this Roast Chicken Recipe.) and I can’t get enough of it this time of year. I don’t love it in its raw state, but when fried with brown butter, it’s taken to a new, very delicious level.

Shallots. For our butternut squash tart, I wanted something delicate and not as in your face as garlic or a yellow onion. A shallot fits the bill. When cooked down, it’s super sweet, and adds the most lovely onion flavor without being overpowering. 

Butternut squash. Of course, butternut squash is the true shining star here. Normally I buy butternut squash pre-cut to save time, however, in this case, you’ll want to trim and slice it yourself so you get nice perfect pieces of squash to layer on the tart. 

Parmesan cheese. Parmesan cheese gets added in two places. Nestled in the squash while it cooks and sprinkled on the top after it cooks. You could also swap out pecorino or asiago. 

Salt. Of course we season the shallots and butternut squash before cooking, but I also like sprinkle the finished product with a little bit of flaked Malden sea salt. You can find it here. 

How to cut a butternut squash

A butternut squash can be quite intimidating to dig into. The skin is really thick and can be difficult to slice into perfectly symmetrical shapes. Here’s how I do it. 

• Start by slicing off the top 1/2-inch and bottom 1/2-inch of the butternut squash with a very sharp chef’s knife. 
• Cut the squash in half horizontally so you have two parts – the top thinner part of the squash and the bottom round part of the squash. 
• For the top half of the squash: Stand the squash up so the cut part is down. Secure the top with your hand. Use your knife or a vegetable peeler to carefully slice off the skin. When all of the skin is off, slice the squash down the middle vertically so you have two long half-circle pieces. 
• For the bottom half of the squash: Stand the bottom up so the cut side is down and the squash is sturdy. Carefully slice off the skin with a sharp chef’s knife or vegetable peeler. Once the skin is all off, slice the squash down the middle vertically so you have two pieces. 
• Use a spoon to scrape out the membranes and seeds inside the squash.
• Lay all four pieces, cut-side down so they are laying flat on your surface. Slice everything into even thin pieces. The top half should be half circles and the bottom half should be half moons. (See photo above.)

Let’s make a Butternut Squash Tart! 

Defrost the puff pastry. It’s really important your puff pastry is fully thawed before you try to roll it out. Rolling it out while still frozen may result in the pastry breaking. I like to set mine out in the plastic on the counter about 30 minutes before I need it. Gently roll it out, but if any part still feels frozen as you’re rolling it out, let it sit for a few minutes to thaw more before rolling it out completely. 

Once the puff pastry is rolled out, transfer to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Cut the squash. See above. While the puff pastry thaws, cut the squash and start to brown the butter. 

Brown the butter. Add the butter to a medium skillet. Turn the heat on medium-high. Let the butter melt and once it starts to brown on the edges, swirl the pan. Continue to swirl the pan until the butter turns a deep brown color and smells very nutty. Add in the sage and fry for about 30 seconds. Remove the sage from the butter and turn the heat down. 

Cook the shallots. Immediately after removing the sage from the butter, add the shallots. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook the shallot until they are soft and caramelized, it should take about six to seven minutes. 

Toss the squash. Add the cut butternut squash to a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter, shallots, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. 

Assemble the tart. Layer the half circle pieces around the edge of the puff pastry. Be sure to include the shallots.  Take the half moon pieces and layer them inside the first circle. Layer any remaining squash in the middle. (See photo for exactly what I did.) Pour any remaining butter on top. Scatter any remaining shallots or parmesan on top as well. 

Bake. Place in the oven and bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the squash is soft and the puff pastry is crispy and brown. 

Finish it off! Sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese and flaky Malden sea salt. 

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

• If you can’t find a round puff pastry sheet (I get mine at Whole Food’s), you can use pie crust or a rectangle sheet of puff pastry. It will look different, but it will taste the same. 
• Be sure to prick the puff pastry with a fork before laying the butternut squash on top. This will help to keep it from expanding too much. 
• Swap out the sage for fresh thyme. 
• If you don’t have parmesan, pecorino and asiago will work. 
• If you don’t have shallots, you can use thinly sliced yellow or red onion as well. 

Some of our other Favorite Butternut Squash Recipes

• This Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta is creamy, full of vitamin-packed squash, and so delicious. 
• Butternut Squash Lasagna, does it get any more indulgent or delicious than this? I don’t think so. 
• Butternut squash isn’t just reserved for tarts and pasta, we love it in the Butternut Squash Tahini Dip. The perfect fall app!