Healthy Butternut Squash Recipes (400 Cal or Less)
While squash is in season, enjoy some of these low calorie butternut squash recipes. They make great appetizers and meals for the fall!
Impress your family and friends with a perfect fall dish from this list of healthy butternut squash recipes. Not only do these dishes look festive, but they will be a party in your mouth too.
Even if butternut squash isn’t an ingredient you’ve used often (or at all), don’t worry! I’ve included information about the harvesting season, cooking tips, and suggestions for food to pair with these recipes!
Table of contents
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When is Squash in season?
While butternut squashes can generally be found in stores or markets year-round, they are harvested during the late summer and early fall months. This means that the best time to enjoy squash recipes is during July, August, September, and October.
This is when you will find the freshest, most vibrant, and flavorful butternut squash. You can remember this timeline by its bright orange color. Squash season begins in summer (when you get those crazy sunsets) and ends as the Autumn leaves fall and we get to Halloween.
How to cook Butternut Squash
Note: Because raw butternut squash is hard and thick, it often takes a while to cook. This is something to consider when choosing a recipe to make.
In order to prep your squash, you will first want to run it under some warm soapy water. Give a nice scrub. This will help to remove any of the dirt or germs.
After you have cleaned your squash, grab a cutting board and sharp knife. You will want to cut it in half and lay each of the sides flat. This way, you can grab a spoon and remove all the seeds.
Depending on what shape you want, you can either leave the halves as they are or cut them into smaller slices/chunks. Generally whichever recipe you use will have images you can look to for reference of how large to cut your pieces.
Next, put all your cut-up butternut squash onto a baking sheet (skin side up for halves) with a drizzle of oil. Follow the recipe for baking time and temperature to set your oven to.
Of course, others have experimented with things like the air fryer or other cooking appliances. However, the most common preparation for butternut squash is through roasting in the oven.
Healthy Butternut Squash Recipes
1.Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup – Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe is so easy to make! Let the pressure cooker do all the work for this creamy butternut squash soup!
Serving Size: 1 cup –> 188 calories, 11g fat, 23g carbs, 3g protein
2. Cheesy Chicken Butternut Squash Risotto –
Serving Size: 1 bowl (1/2 of the recipe) –> 339 calories, 5g fat, 54g carbs, 21g protein
3. Squash Fries – Butternut Squash Fries are a healthy alternative to most fries. When made in the air fryer, they turn out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, matched with the best sauce around!
Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipes –> 154 calories, 7g fat, 16g carbs, 1g protein
4. Butternut Squash Curry – With a few good shortcuts, this healthy butternut squash curry can be on the table in 30 minutes for a perfect weeknight dinner. Rich, creamy, spicy deliciousness.
Serving Size: 1/3 of the recipe –> 302 calories, 18g fat, 35g carbs, 6g protein
5. Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos – These bright, beautiful, and easy tacos are a lovely way to lift your spirits during these cold winter months. Caramelized cubes of spiced squash are tucked into corn tortillas with piquant pickled red onions, creamy avocado slices, and a sprinkle of herbaceous cilantro for a vegan, gluten free, weeknight ready addition to your Taco Tuesday rotation!
Serving Size: 1 taco –> 131 calories, 4g fat, 23g carbs, 2g protein
6. Squash Quinoa Salad – A hearty warm quinoa salad that can be served as an entree or a Thanksgiving side dish. It is super fulfilling, flavorful, full of textures, and loaded with healthy ingredients like squash, apples, and pomegranate.
Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe –> 394 calories, 17g fat, 57g carbs, 8g protein
7. Cinnamon Maple Roasted Squash –
Serving Size: the whole recipe –> 45 calories, 0g fat, 12g carbs, 1g protein
8. Sweet Pecan and Squash Salad – t’s packed with cozy autumn flavors with tender roasted butternut squash, fresh salad greens, crunchy onion, pecans, dried cranberries, Parmesan cheese, and crispy bacon.
Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe –> 397 calories, 30g fat, 29g carbs, 7g protein
9. Butternut Squash Casserole – This Butternut Squash Casserole is a delightful treat with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses for a creamy, savory finish.
Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe –> 173 calories, 8g fat, 24g carbs, 6g protein
10. Mashed Butternut Squash –
Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe –> 168 calories, 4g fat, 29g carbs, 7g protein
11. Pesto Onion and Roasted Butternut Squash Sandwich – This butternut squash sandwich features tender roasted squash, sweet caramelized onions, and aromatic pesto. It is a filling and nourishing meatless sandwich.
Serving Size: 1/2 of the recipe –> 332 calories, 12g fat, 55g carbs, 7g protein
What does Butternut Squash pair well with?
I always use MyPlate as a guide when I am prepping meals. MyPlate is a formula for creating balanced meals that have some of each food group. In fact, I have actual plates you can buy that show you exactly what you’re missing. Click here to buy them!
The butternut squash in the recipes above can count towards the fruits and grains sections above (due to its carb and fiber content). So, a lot of the recipes above will need protein and vegetables along with them. here are some suggestions of foods you could use to make a healthy, balanced meal.
Vegetable Recipes to go with Butternut Squash
Protein Recipes to go with Butternut Squash
Pretty much any kind of lean meat will go great with the squash. You could try chicken, pork, or even fish!
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