Butternut? We don’t know her! (jk) When honey nut squash is available, that’s what I’m filling my basket with for soup, roasted veg, risotto, and fun vegan dinners like this one. Roasted garlic and squash butter beans with tempeh “crunchies” on top is so satisfying. It also has cozy, deeply warming vibes for cooler evenings. I like to scoop up the beans with some crusty whole wheat bread.
If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines with tempeh, this is a fun technique to try. You just break it up into little bits and roast it at high heat with some oil, spices, maple, and a kiss of Tamari for umami depth. It makes a great crunchy topping for grain bowls, salads or, ideally, these saucy beans.
Big, dramatic, and plush butter beans fit right in with a mildly sweet and super creamy squash sauce. We’re essentially making a light honey nut squash soup and bathing the beans in that. After the squash and garlic roast, they get puréed with vegetable stock.
There’s a bit of waiting time since you’re roasting two components before you sauté some aromatics and bring everything together. Of course you could pregame the squash purée up to 5 days ahead of time and just keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. Overall you’ll need about 1 hour to get this one done and dusted.
Each bowl has the tender saucy beans, a little “rubble” of smoky tempeh and toasted walnuts on top, and peppery parsley. Finishing with chili oil/chili crisp is essential in my opinion! It’s a great unifier of all the separate elements.
Creamy Honey Nut Squash & Garlic Butter Beans with Smoky Tempeh Crunch
Ingredients
- 1 medium honey nut squash (about 585 grams)
- 1 bulb garlic
- 227 gram block tempeh
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, plus extra
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon Tamari
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups vegetable stock, plus extra
- 2 540mL (18oz) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed (about 4 cups)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 chili
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For Serving
- chopped toasted walnuts
- chopped parsley
- chili oil
- crusty bread
Notes
- I really have to insist on honey nut squash here (not butternut)! Just way more flavor and sweetness which is key for the minimal ingredients in the “sauce.”
- I used an extremely hot jalapeño from my garden for the chili. Use any chili you like/can tolerate.
- A lot of action is happening in the oven. You’ll need to set one timer for the squash/garlic and one for the tempeh.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line both a half sheet pan and a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Cut off the top ½ inch from the garlic bulb. Place the garlic bulb inside a sheet of foil. Drizzle the top with olive oil and then wrap it up tightly in the foil. Place on the quarter sheet pan. Cut the honey nut squash in half lengthwise and place, cut side down, on the quarter sheet pan. Roast until the squash is soft and garlic is sufficiently browned/soft, about 35 minutes. Let them cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, crumble the tempeh into little pieces with your hands. To the bowl, add the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, regular paprika, Tamari, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Toss to coat and then arrange on the half sheet pan, spreading it out. Roast in the oven until browned and a little crunchy on the edges, about 20-25 minutes.
- While squash/tempeh is roasting, chop the onion and mince the chili/thyme.
- Scoop out and discard the seeds from the squash. Scoop out all the cooked flesh and place in an upright blender. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the bulb into the blender as well. Pour in the vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
- Set a deep skillet or braiser on the stove over medium heat. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and add the onions. Sauté until very soft and translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Add the chili and thyme and sauté another minute. Add the butter beans and season with salt and pepper. Stir. Pour in the honey nut squash sauce and stir.
- Bring the beans to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens around the beans a bit. If the sauce is too thick, pour in some extra stock, a couple tablespoons at a time. Once you’re ready, stir in the lemon juice.
- To serve, top each portion of butter beans with smoky tempeh crunch, chopped walnuts, parsley, and chili oil. Enjoy straight away!
Wow, this dish was so good! It was my first time trying butter beans and I really like them. The honeynut sauce is delicious. Next time I might add miso for a little extra savoriness. The tempeh crunch was addictive and would be awesome on other dishes like salads or creamy, pureed soups. This was coziness in a bowl and I can’t wait for leftovers.
Hi! Would acorn squash work here? Or is honey nut squash a must?
I think the flavor of acorn squash might be a bit too mellow/plain for this recipe!
-Laura
Love any recipe with butter beans, and this one came out right as I was planning to make another recipe w/ squash – a nice two-for-one. My store was out of honeynut so I used koginut (butternut + kabocha cross). Since koginut has a less sweet and more flat taste, I used a few tricks Laura’s put me onto to add depth: ladled out a few spoonfuls of the hot puree and whisked in miso, tamari, nutritional yeast, and apple cider vinegar, then returned to the pot. Loads of savory flavor that complemented the beans really well!
Delicious, just made a batch !!!
Planning to serve at Thanksgiving,too.
Move over butternut your cousin Honey Nut is staying over for a extended stay.
Thanks Laura
Yum!
Sitting down to a lovely bowl right now. This will be served at my Thanksgiving Feast .
yum! I didn’t have tempeh so used tofu and served over linguine for a delicious and substantial meal. Don’t skip the roasted garlic!
Amazing! My jalapeños weren’t quite as spicy as yours so im going to double the chili next time, 10/10! The seeded crust sourdough we bought to pair with it out it over the edge as one of my favorite meals. If youre reading this and like this recipe I highly reccomend her Coconut lentil kale sweets potato soup
Could this be made the day before?
The beans portion absolutely can! The tempeh should be made prior to serving to preserve the texture.
-Laura
This looks like the perfect fall meal! I love the idea of tempeh crumbles. Can you recommend a good sub for those of us who can’t find butter beans?
Cannellini or navy beans are great! Or even store bought gnocchi would fit in here if you’re open to something a bit more starchy! Just cook according to package directions before adding to the pan with the onions etc.
-Laura