These maple butternut squash crostini include perfectly sautéd mushrooms and shallots, fresh herbs, whipped goat cheese and crispy, salted sage! These enchanting fall appetizers also include a divine blackberry balsamic glaze that’s so easy to make and so fun to drizzle!
They’re both sweet and savory, they can be served hot or cold, and they take only about an hour to make!
Maple Butternut Squash Crostini with Mushrooms
You won’t be using the entire butternut squash for this recipe, so maybe save the rest for some curry butternut squash soup, or curry butternut squash with turkey, spinach and hominy! The crispy, salted sage leaves are optional, but they really turn up the elegance on these delightful autumn starters, so they’re highly recommended.
For autumn dinner parties, I love to serve these with roasted duck or roasted game hen, pumpkin rice with fall vegetables and a beet and pear salad. With a cranberry apple crisp for dessert… *chef’s kiss!
They’re just as delicious served hot or cold, but I’d suggest not microwaving the butternut squash topping to reheat it if you want to make it ahead. It will become soggy and a bit lackluster. I would reheat in a sauté pan for just 3-4 minutes. This will help keep the squash firm, and even a little extra browned, which is extra tasty.
How To Slice Butternut Squash
1. Simply slice the longer end of the butternut squash away from the round part. You’ll likely only need that longer part, and can save the round end for another recipe.
2. With a sharp knife, carefully slice the skin off of the squash from top to bottom.
3. Then, slice the squash into bitesize pieces by slicing into rounds, then stacking a few and dicing.
Ingredient Notes
butternut squash – Again, you won’t be using the whole thing. Most butternut squash contains at least 2 cups, but you’ll only be using 1½.
shallots – Don’t substitute with red onion. You want the butternut squash to be the star of the show, and red onion is a bit too strong a flavor.
mushrooms – I used shiitake, but you can also use wild, baby bellas or trumpet mushrooms.
goat cheese – I love goat cheese for this recipe, but you can also use burrata, ricotta, or even whipped feta!
whipped cream cheese – You can substitute with greek yogurt if you like.
thyme – Use only fresh thyme. Not dried.
sage leaves – These are optional but so tasty! If you’ve never made fried, salted, crispy sage leaves before, you’ll want to eat them like potato chips.
maple syrup – You can also substitute with honey, but it won’t have as rich a flavor. I used Grade A dark maple syrup.
thick, rustic bread – I used a thick, whole wheat loaf for this recipe, but you can actually use any kind of bread you wish. I like a nice, big crostini that takes at least 3-4 bites to finish, but you can certainly serve these on smaller baguette slices. However, you’ll have to slice your vegetables smaller than the recipe calls for.
flake salt – Either a flaky sea salt or kosher salt will do.
cinnamon – Use a teeny, tiny amount. About ⅛th tsp.
chili pepper – This adds an exciting, contrasting flavor to the mushrooms.
balsamic vinegar – This is for the glaze. You can substitute with white balsamic, as well as apple cider vinegar.
blackberry preserves – I love blackberry in the glaze, but you can also use fig jam, blueberry, apricot or even marmalade.
How to Make This Crostini – Step by Step
Start with The Blackberry Balsamic Glaze
1. Simmer ¼ cup balsamic vinegar on MEDIUM-HIGH heat in a small saucepan for about 10 minutes until it’s appeared to have reduced by half.
2. Add 1 tbsp. blackberry preserves, stir thoroughly, remove from heat and refrigerate while making the crostini. Don’t worry if it looks a little runny. Once it’s refrigerated for about 10-20 minutes, it will become thicker.
Make the Crostini Topping
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.) Dice 1½ cup butternut squash into bitesize pieces. Set aside.
2. Thinly slice 3 shallots. Set aside.
3. Slice 1½ cup mushrooms into bitesize slices and prepare 1 tbsp. fresh thyme (not pictured). Set aside.
4. Toss diced butternut squash with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. maple syrup and a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon.
5. Pour onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
6. While butternut squash bakes, sauté sliced mushrooms in 1½ tbsp. olive oil until lightly brown – about 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with chili pepper, salt and pepper, toss and remove into a container.
7. Sauté sliced shallots in 1 tbsp. olive oil until lightly brown – about 5-7 minutes.
8. Once butternut squash is finished, combine in sauté pan with sautéed shallots, mushrooms (drain any liquid that may have released, if any) thyme, and 1 tsp. maple syrup. Gently toss and sauté for 3 minutes more. Remove into a container until sage leaves are done.
Make Fried Sage Leaves and Assemble
1. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the pan, place 6 sage leaves in the oil, making sure they’re thoroughly covered, and sauté on MEDIUM-HIGH heat for 5 minutes or until they’re starting to appear very slightly brown. I find holding them down a little with a fork from time to time keeps them from curling up.
2. Remove and liberally sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
3. Mix together 4 oz. whipped cream cheese and 4 oz. goat cheese.
4. When ready to serve, toast 6 pieces of bread. Cover each toast with whipped goat cheese. Top with squash, mushrooms and shallots. Drizzle with blackberry balsamic glaze.
5. Finally, top each crostini with a sage leaf and serve.
Common Questions
The topping can be made at least 3 days ahead, but it’s best when served the day of.
Not long. Be sure to make them less than 3-5 hours ahead of time (ideally, right before serving) and store them at room temperate in Tupperware or a ziplock bag.
Simply add a little bit more balsamic vinegar. Start with just half a teaspoon and stir. If it’s still a little too thick, add a tiny bit more until it’s a drizzling consistency.
A Few Helpful Tips
1. The balsamic blackberry glaze is going to smell pretty intense while it’s simmering, and the vinegar odor tends to linger for a while. If you’re making this for a party, I’d say make that glaze earlier in the day, or even the day before if you can. It’s not a “bad” smell. It’s just a strong one that you may not want to haunt your kitchen.
2. You may want to assemble the crostini on a board or plate that you don’t intend to serve on. It will get a little messy as you spoon the topping and drizzle the glaze. Transfer assembled crostini to a tidy serving board once assembled elsewhere. It just looks nicer.
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A Few More Tasy Squash Recipes
Maple Butternut Squash Crostini with Mushrooms
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 sharp knife and cutting board
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 foil-lined baking sheet
- 1 sauté pan
Ingredients
For the Crostini
- 1½ cup butternut squash – diced into bitesize pieces
- 3 shallots – thinly sliced
- 1½ cup shiitake mushrooms – sliced
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- 4 oz. whipped cream cheese
- 1 tbsp. thyme
- 2 tsp. maple syrup – divided
- 6 slices bread – any thick, rustic loaf you choose
- 3½ tbsp. olive oil – divided
- cinnamon – a small sprinkle
- chili pepper – a small sprinkle
- table salt – a small sprinkle
- freshly ground pepper – a small sprinkle
For the Blackberry Balsamic Glaze
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. blackberry preserves
For the Crispy Sage Leaves – Optional
- 6 sage leaves
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- flaky sea salt – or kosher salt – a sprinkle
Instructions
- Simmer ¼ cup balsamic vinegar on MEDIUM-HIGH heat in a small saucepan for about 10 minutes until it’s appeared to have reduced by half. Add 1 tbsp. blackberry preserves, stir thoroughly, remove from heat and refrigerate while making the crostini.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.) Toss diced butternut squash with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. maple syrup and a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon. Pour onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- While butternut squash bakes, sauté sliced shiitake mushrooms in 1½ tbsp. olive oil until lightly brown – about 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with chili pepper, salt and pepper, toss and remove into a container.
- Sauté sliced shallots in 1 tbsp. olive oil until lightly brown – about 5-7 minutes.
- Once butternut squash is finished, combine in sauté pan with sautéed shallots, mushrooms (drain any liquid that may have released, if any) thyme, and 1 tsp. maple syrup. Gently toss and sauté for 3 minutes more. Remove into a container until sage leaves are done.
- Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the pan, place 6 sage leaves in the oil, making sure they’re thoroughly covered, and sauté on MEDIUM-HIGH heat for 5 minutes or until they’re starting to appear very slightly brown. Remove and liberally sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Mix together 4 oz. whipped cream cheese and 4 oz. goat cheese.
- When ready to serve, toast 6 pieces of bread. Cover each toast with whipped goat cheese. Top with squash, mushrooms and shallots. Drizzle with blackberry balsamic glaze and top each crostini with a sage leaf and serve.
Ashley
I have a question about how it tastes as it cools during a party? I imagine this to taste the best when the toppings are warm but of course by the time it’s served and as people nibble, it’ll get cold. Does this impact its taste?
Genevieve Morrison
I actually think it tastes just as lovely cold as warm! In fact, I only serve it cold to make things easier on myself.
Ina
I recently made these for a girls night. I used trumpet mushrooms instead of shiitake and it was amazing. This is something I totally would expect as an appetizer in an upper class restaurant. My girls were amazed and loved it. I will make these very often and to as many opportunities as I can in the future. For the balsamic jam I used homemade Marmelade by my husbands grandmother. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
May
This was so tasty!! The jam/balsamic dressing is the BOMB.
Genevieve Morrison
Thank you very much, May! So happy you enjoyed it!
Laurie Siegmund
So I made these for a Fall party that I catered for a botox studio in town. The crazy thing is that I had been sick for a week. I could not taste or smell (No, it wasn’t Covid…tested 3 times. Sinus infection). Anyway, It was the first time that I had made them but I couldn’t taste them…pretty risky, I know. I went on the assurance that I had never made a recipe of yours that I didn’t love so I took the chance. They loved them. I got to reheat and taste them 3 days later. Delicious. I didn’t have the fried sage with mine which would have been over the top for sure. Now, one thing, my balsamic and jam seized up. I just couldn’t get it the right consistance again heating it up. I made it work. It’s another keeper!
Genevieve Morrison
How nice! Haha! The drizzle may have been simmered a little too long. In that case, if it “gels” too much, all you have to do is add a little more balsamic to thin it out a bit. So glad the recipe worked out for you!
Laurie
What bread did you use?
Genevieve Morrison
It was a thick whole wheat, but you can use just about any thick loaf of bread. If you want to use a baguette to create smaller servings, just be sure to slice vegetables smaller than I did.
Laurie Siegmund
Thank you. I used Bruschetta and I made sure to cut the squash smaller but I think it could have been even smaller. Hard to keep on the bread. Least favorite thing about squash is peeling and cutting!! Would do it again though!
Genevieve Morrison
Thank you, Laurie! Glad you liked the recipe!