Maple Butternut Squash Crostini with Mushrooms

1 maple butternut squash crostini on a wooden board.

5 from 8 votes

Maple Butternut Squash Crostini with Mushrooms

These maple butternut squash crostini include perfectly sautéd mushrooms and shallots, fresh herbs and whipped goat cheese! They also include a divine blackberry balsamic glaze that’s so easy to make and so fun to drizzle!

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: International

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 323kcal

Author: Genevieve Morrison

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.

Notes

If you intend to serve these on a smaller bread like baguette, be sure to slice vegetables half as big as the photos above, or they may not sit nicely on top.

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 at least 3-5 hours beforehand, 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 hanging around.

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. It just looks nicer.

See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Nutrition