This delicious nut parmesan-crusted butternut squash is my latest food obsession! Cubes of butternut squash are dipped into chickpea flour batter, then dunked into nut parmesan and baked until tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Do you remember my Vegan Eggplant Parmesan with Chickpea Flour recipe? Since first making it in July, I have been coming up with all sorts of ways to use the chickpea flour batter and nut parmesan coating in other applications. I would like to introduce you to the latest and greatest variation: Nut Parmesan-Crusted Butternut Squash! Oh my lord, you are going to want this in your life on a regular basis throughout the rest of winter squash season–I know I do!

Despite what you may be thinking, this recipe is not at all difficult to prepare. Simply peel and cube a butternut squash, whisk together chickpea flour and non-dairy milk, and pulse up a nut parmesan in your food processor with almonds, cashews, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and garlic powder. The only somewhat challenging thing to get the hang of is dipping each cube into the batter, shaking off the excess, and then dunking it into the parmesan. But you’ll get the hang of it as you go, and if you run out of patience towards the end (as I did, haha), just pour the cubes of squash right into the batter, stir to coat, and then dunk each cube into the parmesan.

The key to great results with this squash recipe is a hot oven: 450 degrees F. Initially, I was afraid that such a high temperature would cause the nut parmesan to burn, but by some miracle of science, it doesn’t! The squash gets totally tender on the inside, and the batter and parmesan get crispy. The result is nothing short of addictive: You’ll likely find yourself sneaking a cube (or five) shortly after they’ve come out of the oven.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

Butternut squash, chickpea flour, non-dairy milk, almonds, cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and sea salt.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Peel and dice the squash into 1-inch cubes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour and non-dairy milk.
In a food processor, combine the almonds, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder. Process until a coarse meal forms. Transfer into a medium bowl.
Line one very large or two medium baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Create an assembly line with the diced squash on a cutting board or plate, the chickpea flour batter beside it, the nut parmesan beside that, and the prepared baking sheet(s) beside the parmesan.
Take a cube of squash and dunk it into the chickpea flour batter, ensuring that it’s evenly coated. Allow excess batter to drip off, then dip it into the nut parmesan, making sure that all four sides get some coating. (If you’ve ever deep fried anything, this is similar to dredging something in bread crumbs. It is somewhat messy and time consuming, but worth it!) Place the squash cube on the baking sheet and repeat this process until you’ve used up all of the squash. You may have some batter left over; you can discard it or save it for another use. NOTE: I got impatient towards the end and dumped the remaining squash into the chickpea batter, stirred it all around, and then dipped each cube into the nut parmesan individually after that.
Bake the squash at 450 degrees F for 20-24 minutes, flipping each cube halfway through to ensure even browning. It’s ready when the squash is fork tender and the nut parmesan is browned and crispy.

serving ideas

Use it as a taco filling along with guacamole, pico de Gallo, and refried beans.
Serve as a side dish with tofu scramble, salad, and bread.
Add cooled squash to any salad that you want to add some extra oomph to.
Use it as a component in any buddha bowl. My next recipe will be a bowl recipe that incorporates this squash recipe!
I think it would even be a delicious appetizer with ketchup and aioli for dipping!