I lived in Brooklyn for seven years, and Manhattan for three years before that. In all those 10 years, I grilled exactly one time. Alex and I borrowed our friend Sarah’s tiny portable grill and set it up behind our building. It worked great, but the experience was a bit lacking. Instead of sipping beers and watching the sunset, we were running up and down the stairs from our apartment and crouching in front of the trash bins.
One of the best parts of our move to Westchester is definitely that we now have a backyard, a deck, and a real, full-sized grill. And while we made our fair share of burgers, steaks, and fish this past summer, what we were most excited about were the smoky, charred vegetables. Perhaps our favorite thing was a grilled version of this eggplant dish, from the amazing Smitten Kitchen.
I was thinking about that recipe last week, and imagining how I could fall-ify it. Grilling was out (unfortunately), roasting was in, and I knew I wanted to use butternut squash as a base. I played around with various toppings (including an apple chutney which we will talk about later) before landing on a bright, zippy gremolata.
Unfamiliar? Gremolata is basically an Italian salsa, traditionally made with parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. There are lots of variations, some with cheese, others with nuts. I included tart Granny Smith apple to compliment the sweet butternut squash. Hazelnuts add delicious toasty crunch, and a drizzle of olive oil binds everything together.
This dish would make a lovely first course for Thanksgiving. It’s also great as a side, or a light main dish paired with a green salad. You can roast the squash ahead and reheat in a low oven. The gremolata can be prepared ahead, too, though the hazelnuts may loose a tiny bit of crunch. If you don’t have hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, or walnuts would make great substitutes.

Butternut Squash Rounds with Hazelnut-Apple Gremolata
Ingredients
For the butternut squash
- 1 large or two small butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the gremolata
- 1 cup hazelnuts toasted and cooled
- 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 small Granny Smith apple 1 cup, peeled and finely diced
- Zest of 1 lemon plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the squash in half crosswise, separating the neck from the bulb. Reserve the bulb for another use. Peel the neck and cut it crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices. You should have at least 8 rounds. Toss with the olive oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, flipping once halfway though, until the center of each round is tender when pierced with a knife. (At this point, if you want to give the squash nice charred edges, run it under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.)
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While the squash roasts, make the gremolata. Combine the hazelnuts, parsley, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the apple, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
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To serve, arrange the squash on a serving platter and top each round with a big spoonful of the gremolata.
Tina says
The picture is amazing I can’t wait to try your recipe! My only question is that it doesn’t look as if the butternut rounds are peeled, but the recipe directions say to peel it. I’ve only peeled & sliced butternut twice, because it was such a pain,any recommendations?
Lucy Baker says
Thank you so much, Tina! It is peeled. I think it doesn’t look like it in the photo because the edges are browned. I suggest using your biggest kitchen knife to cut the squash crosswise, separating the “neck” from the base. Then use a Y peeler to peel it–it’s so much easier than the other kind!