Beet & Butternut Bruschetta for Oahu Fresh

This week for Oahu Fresh #quarantinecooking class, we’re making a Beet & Butternut Bruschetta. Aside from being alliterative, it’s also beautiful and delicious – it’s fancy enough to serve guests but simple enough for a night in. Bright red beets pair with either butternut squash (which was our featured veggie last week) or Kabocha, another one of my favorite squashes, with a simple Dijon and maple glaze. It’s paired with a simple spread with a base of goat cheese (vegan or regular cream cheese or ricotta would be great too). The cheese of your choosing is mixed with fresh dill and lemon – and these bright, tangy flavors are the perfect way to offset the rich beets.

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In this recipe I cooked the vegetables separately in order to maintain the color differences – as you might know, beets will bleed their gorgeous red color over your hands, countertops, cutting boards, and other veggies. You can absolutely cook them together if you don’t mind everything being pink! If you’re making ahead of time, keep the veggies separate until just before serving. Finally, in this version I used the skillet for ease, but you can absolutely roast the veggies for the same results. Roast on 350ºF for about 15 minutes, adding the glaze at the end.

Beet & Butternut Bruschetta

1½ cups very small cubed beets
1½ cups very small cubed squash (butternut or kabocha)
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
Generous pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup Cream cheese or goat cheese, or vegan versions of either, room temperature
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
½ – 1 cup minced fresh dill
4 slices of bread of choice, like a baguette or ciabatta

1. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil to a large skillet. Warm over medium heat, and add beets. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, until soft.
2. Meanwhile, make the glaze: stir together olive oil (reserve an additional teaspoon for the squash), salt, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and black pepper.
3. While the skillet is still warm, add half of the glaze to the beets, and toss to combine, cooking just one minute more. Turn out into a clean bowl.
4. Wipe the skillet, and repeat the process with the butternut squash: add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, then cook the squash about 5-8 minutes. Squash might cook faster than the beets and it will brown more, so keep your eyes on it!
5. Once squash is cooked fully, add the last of the glaze to the warm skillet, and stir to combine. Turn out into a separate bowl.
6. To make the spread: stir together the cheese of choice, dill, and lemon. Depending on the type of cheese you use, you can also add a pinch of salt to bring the flavors together.
7. Toast the bread lightly. Cover with spread, then top with beets and squash. Add a sprig of dill for cuteness!

Yield: Makes about 3 cups of veggies and ½ cup of cheese spread; yield will depend on sizing of your bread.