Turn Butternut Squash and Apples Into a Tasty Finger Food and Side Dish
I had one little butternut in the bin, hardly enough to bake up as a side dish. I also had a Macintosh apple sitting on the counter that I pulled from the crisper because it was a bit bruised.
My intention was to make parsnip and carrot fritters but instead, I made use of the squash and apple and created some butternut squash and apple fritters.
I made these “sweet” in that I used pumpkin pie spice but I think making them savory with thyme, ginger and sage would be super tasty.
I would serve these to babies 10 months+ only because the texture might be a bit difficult for younger babies to gum-up; Please use your own best judgement.
Serve Butternut-Apple Fritters with:
- a bit of maple syrup
- yogurt mixed with cinnamon – dip or spread
- sour cream
- cottage cheese
Butternut & Apple Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 small-ish butternut squash, peeled & grated (about 3-4 cups)
- 1 medium macintosh apple, peeled & grated
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 eggs – whisk them together, If you are staying away from egg whites, use 4 yolks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil – for frying or baking
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice mix
Instructions
- Grate the grate the butternut squash then grate the apple.
- Be sure to grate the butternut semi-fine so that the “shavings” will cook to tender; I grated a bit too large on this go-round and the butternut was a rather al dente.
- Toss the squash and apple in a large bowl then add the flour and the spices
- Mix well to thoroughly combine
- Stir in the eggs and mix to combine
- Fold in the breadcrumbs then cook using either method below:
- Frying:
- In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.
- Drop 4-5 rounded tablespoonfuls of the fritter mixture into the skillet then flatten a bit. Fry for approximately 5 minutes then turn the fritters over. Fry for an additional 5 minutes, until golden all over and a bit crispy.
- Remove from skillet to a plate covered with paper towels
- Serve warm.
- Baking:
- Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Bake in a 375F degree oven for 15-20 minutes, turning the fritters halfway through cooking time. Fritters will be a golden color and may be a bit crispy around the edges.
- Having made these both methods, I think I prefer the baked texture for little ones and the fried texture for older kids.
Notes
You can use a food processor to shred the squash and apple, just be sure to remove seeds/core.
Skip the prep work and just steam the grated squash and apples & serve
Enjoy