Butternut Squash Crostini
Treat your guests to this delicious Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini appetizer ... it's a total crowd pleaser!
Servings: 20 crostini
Calories: 74kcal
Ingredients
For Crostini:
- 1 baguette
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic
For Butternut Squash:
- 4 cups diced butternut squash (see note)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 large sage leaves, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt
- pepper
For Fried Sage Leaves:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 20 small sage leaves
For Assembly:
- 1 (4 ounce / 113 gram) log goat cheese
Equipment
- Baking Sheet (you'll need two)
Instructions
Prepare Crostini:
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut 20 slices from the baguette (on an angle, ¼-inch thick). Save the remaining bread for another use.
- Place the slices on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Brush both sides with olive oil, then sprinkle one side lightly with salt.
- Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crisp throughout and lightly golden (no need to flip). Set aside.
- Cut garlic clove in half, then rub cut side over toasted bread slices. Set aside.
Prepare Butternut Squash:
- While crostini bakes, prep squash. Place the squash cubes on a baking sheet, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well.
- When crostini is done, add squash to oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- Remove squash from oven, then stir in minced garlic and chopped sage leaves. Return to oven, then continue roasting until squash is tender and browned on edges (about 15 minutes more).
- Taste squash, then season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside.
Prepare Fried Sage Leaves:
- While squash roasts, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Line a plate with paper towels.
- When oil is hot, carefully add sage leaves. Cook just until leaves turn dark green and crisp (it should only take 1 to 2 minutes).
- Carefully remove sage leaves from oil and place on paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside.
Assemble Crostini:
- When the squash and sage leaves are ready, spread each crostini lightly with goat cheese, then top with roasted squash (dividing ingredients evenly).
- Place a fried sage leaf on each crostini.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Bread - You should be able to get about 40 slices from a ½-pound (255 grams) baguette, so you will have leftover bread. If you want use all the bread, you can double the topping ingredients, make another topping, or you can store the leftover toasts in an airtight container (read my easy Crostini recipe for storage tips and more topping ideas).
Butternut Squash - To prep your squash, use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel first, then slice off the bulbous part and cut it in half. Remove the seeds and any stringy bits, then cut the squash into ½-inch cubes. To get 4 cups , you will need a squash that weighs about 1 ½ pounds (680 grams).
Dividing the Ingredients - Before assembling the crostini, I recommend roughly dividing the toppings (no need to measure, you can eyeball this). That way, you'll be sure to have enough for each toast. For example, since this recipe makes 20, I divided the cooked squash into 4 portions, then as I was assembling the toasts I further divided each of these quarters into 5 individual portions / toasts (4 x 5 = 20). I recommend doing this with the cheese too, because a little goes a long way!
Assembly - These toasts are surprisingly quick to put together, but for the fastest assembly, grab a friend (or two) to help you! One person can add the goat cheese, someone can top the cheese with the squash, and another friend can add the fried sage leaves.
More - Check out the info before this recipe card for helpful tips, step by step photos, variations, serving suggestions, and more!
Nutrition
Calories: 74kcal
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