The Best Butternut Squash Recipes Ever

You may think of butternut squash as a fall or winter vegetable, and while that's the time of year when butternut squash is most in season, thanks to the marvels of modern science, you can now find butternut squash in your grocery store's produce section year-round. When you're craving the sweet, rich, comfort food-esque flavor of this winter squash, you'll want to check out our favorite, five, best butternut squash recipes ever. We have you covered with all the basics, from traditional butternut squash soups to more inventive uses that pair butternut squash with pasta. We even have a Panera Bread copycat recipe on deck.

Before you can start simmering away, though, you'll need to navigate the sometimes-difficult process of actually cracking into your hard-shelled butternut squash. Luckily, we have you covered there, too, with Mashed's easy guide to cutting up any fall or winter squash.

What are you waiting for? Cook up something great for dinner, with one of these five favorite recipes.

If you're both bored with your traditional pasta dishes and your traditional butternut squash, too, it might be time to try something a little more out of the box — like this recipe for butternut squash-stuffed shells. Blended butternut squash combines with spinach and ricotta cheese, before being stuffed into jumbo pasta shells and smothered in marinara sauce and mozzarella. This creamy, warming dinner comes together in under an hour, including baking time, and serves six — making it a suitable size for a small dinner party or meal with friends.

If, though, you love your spaghetti covered with meatballs or your carbonara speckled with thick chunks of bacon, you may want to try this squash-stuffed shells recipe instead. "Another stuffed shell recipe with squash," you ask? You bet! It packs your blended butternut squash into jumbo pasta shells alongside flavorful Italian turkey sausage and more of that scrumptious ricotta cheese and spinach. Unlike our other squash-stuffed shells recipe, though, this one leaves out the marinara, for a butter-based sauce seasoned with fresh sage.

Of course, you can't ignore the classics. Butternut squash soup may just be the most popular use for this wintertime squash, and for good reason. Butternut squash soup is creamy, warming, and delicious, without being overly filling. Plus, it's packed with nutrients. Butternut squash is filled with Vitamin A, beta-carotene, Vitamin C, and fiber. Our butternut squash soup recipe gets a kick of flavor from ingredients like Thai red chili paste, garlic, and lime, as well as added creaminess from a can of coconut milk.

If you're just in need of a simple, yet versatile, side dish, our roasted butternut squash recipe fits the bill. Super-easy to make, it only requires a handful of ingredients and less than an hour (with the majority of that time spent with your squash baking in the oven). While our original recipe gets its flavor from a healthy dose of salt, pepper, chili flakes, and maple syrup, you can make the recipe your own by creating other flavor profiles through sage and butter, brown sugar, lime, cilantro, and other basic pantry ingredients (and our recipe will give you tips on how you can do that, too!).

If you love Panera Bread's butternut squash soup, but hate that it's not always available, it's time you discovered our Panera Bread butternut squash soup copycat recipe. Decadent, creamy, and seasoned with warming spices such as cinnamon, turmeric, and curry powder, there's a reason why this butternut squash soup is a hit all around the country. Sure, it might take a little extra work to throw together and you may need a few more ingredients than you might for a more traditional butternut squash soup recipe, but your efforts will be well worth it.