I made this dish on this long holiday weekend and it could have been more perfect. The recipe is adapted from a recipe my mom found in The New York Times food section in 2007. The pictures (taken from my phone), don’t do it justice. It is full of flavor with butter and maple roasted squash, sautéed leeks, garlic and thyme, cannellini beans, and kale all simmered in vegetable broth. It is also gluten-free, vegetarian and can even be vegan (use oil in place of butter and omit cheese). Serve it as a side dish or a main course vegetarian option. It would even be delicious topped with a fried egg. The original recipe called for dried cranberries, but I omitted. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash, White Bean and Kale Ragout
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 8 to 10 side-dish servings
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2½ teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large leeks, cleaned and chopped, white and light green parts only
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1- 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or use 3 cups cooked white beans)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 5 kale leaves (any variety), center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
- 2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese ( ½ cup), more to taste
- Coarse sea salt, for garnish.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a vegetable peeler, peel squash. Trim stem, then halve squash, scoop out seeds, and cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Spread cubes out on a large rimmed baking sheet. In small saucepan, combine butter or canola oil, syrup, 1 teaspoon vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until butter melts; pour mixture over squash and toss to coat evenly. Roast, tossing occasionally, until pumpkin or squash is very tender and caramelized at edges, about 30 minutes. Garnish with sea salt and set to cool.
- In a dutch oven, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic, thyme and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft and not at all browned, about 15 minutes. Add beans and broth and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in kale, and cheese if desired. Simmer until kale is cooked down and very tender, about 10 minutes. Gently stir in pumpkin or squash; season with remaining 1½ teaspoons vinegar and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
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