I’m a big believer in seasonal pies. We don’t get much in the seasons department living in Texas, so food is a great way to feel in touch with the rest of America. 

Butternut squash pie may sound off-putting, but in reality it’s really exactly the same as pumpkin pie. Your brain has just been trained to think of pumpkins as sweet and cinnamon-y, when in fact they are grosser than squash. Squash pies are better than pumpkin pies because they are much easier to make from scratch as all the seeds are generally in one place. 

The last time I made a butternut squash pie I was about 8 years old. But I saw a big pile of these in HEB last week and knowing I had two upcoming events that I needed to bring food for, I figured this would be a great dessert to bring along. It turns out I was even able to make two pies from one squash, which will help cut down on costs––two for one! 

I doubled the recipe below, and you could probably do the same because I imagine you’ll have plenty of squash. 

What you’ll need:

1–2 unbaked and chilled pie crust

1 large butternut squash, cooked and pureed, yielding about 1 1/2 cups pureed squash (I used a blender. If you don’t have a blender, you should because you’re in college. Put this on your Christmas list with a sensible explanation about how smoothies are really good for your health). 

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

3 large eggs

3/4 cup evaporated milk (it’s the smaller can)

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Pt 1:To cook squash

Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove stem and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash, cut-side down, on a foil-lined, oiled baking pan; add about 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 400° for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Let cool completely before peeling and mashing, pureeing, or running through a food mill. Measure 1 1/2 cups of the squash and set aside.

Pt 2: Assemble the pie

Reduce oven to 350° F and position an oven rack in the center of the oven. In a mixing bowl (preferably with electric mixer), beat the squash with the brown sugar. Add eggs, evaporated milk, spices salt, flour, butter, and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Pour the filling into the chilled pie and place on the center oven rack. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until set. When the filling is set, transfer the pie to a rack to cool. Serve just warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

This is a great pie because it keeps for several days. And before that you can make the squash separately and freeze it for when you’re ready to use it. In fact, you can freeze the whole pie and defrost it as needed. Generally, if it isn’t a fruit pie it freezes pretty well after being cooked. Fruit pies need to be frozen while “raw.” Also, it’s an excuse to buy canned whipped cream which leads to all sorts of excuses for using whipped cream––this week alone I’ve used whipped cream in eggs, coffee, on a grapefruit for no good reason, and ice cream. This week’s grocery list might as well have been titled “Things I can put whipped cream on/in.”