Butternut Squash Apple Bruschetta
This post may contain affiliate links.
Butternut squash and apples are roasted in fall spices for a delicious twist on bruschetta, making this vegetarian recipe the perfect appetizer for fall! It’s great for a party, perfect for Thanksgiving and easy to make ahead!
Today is the day that one of my favorite appetizers, meets some of my favorite fall flavors, and makes one of the most delicious dishes ever! While I will always be a fan of traditional bruschetta with tomatoes and basil, I’m also a huge fan of putting delicious twists on my favorite appetizer.
Whether it’s Strawberry Balsamic Bruschetta, Mushroom Chickpea Bruschetta or Nectarine Fig Burrata Bruschetta, every spin on the scrumptious appetizer gives me a new and delicious reason to whip up the dish!
For my latest bruschetta twist, I combined a couple of my favorite fall ingredients, butternut squash and apples, then roasted them in tasty fall spices. I added ricotta cheese to give it a creamy base, then topped it all off with a balsamic glaze.
This recipe is filled with flavor, and my favorite twist on bruschetta yet!
Ingredients
- Butternut Squash – feel free to buy a whole butternut squash, peel it, dice it and remove the seeds. Or you can buy already peeled, cubed butternut squash in the produce section at most grocery stores, or frozen on the freezer aisle with the other vegetables.
- Apple – I used fuji apples for this recipe, but other types of apples, like gala, granny smith and pink lady are also good for cooking.
- Olive oil – or another neutral flavored oil, like avocado or vegetable oil.
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Allspice
- Ground cloves
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- French bread – a baguette can be used in it’s place for smaller, more bite sized pieces of bruschetta.
- Ricotta cheese – goat cheese can be used in it’s place, if you’d prefer.
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh sage leaves
- Balsamic Glaze – you can order it online via the link provided, or find it at most major grocery stores near the balsamic vinegar.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Dice the butternut squash and apples into small cubes, about 1/4 inch in size. Toss the butternut squash and apples with olive oil, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt and black pepper.
Place in an even layer on a baking sheet and into the oven for 15 minutes.
While the squash and apples are roasting, brush the sliced bread with olive oil and set it aside.
Combine the ricotta cheese with black pepper and salt, set aside.
In a small skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sage leaves, saute for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and toss with the squash and apples when they come out of the oven.
Place the slices of bread into the oven for 4-5 minutes, or until toasted to your liking.
Remove the bread from the oven and top with the ricotta cheese, then the roasted squash and apple mix.
Drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
Serve as a party app, or before your favorite fall meal!
Recipe tips
- I used a thicker loaf of french bread to make this recipe, but you could also make it with a baguette for a more “bite sized” bruschetta, perfect for tray passing at parties!
- You can use another cheese besides ricotta, if you’d like. Goat cheese is a great creamy alternative or this recipe. Or if you want to go really decadent, you could melt some brie on top of the toast before adding the butternut squash and apples.
- If you want to use a different type of squash, the only squash that I’d recommend to replace butternut squash is delicata squash. It’s similar in flavor and texture to butternut squash, and you don’t even have to peel the squash because the skin is so thin, you can roast it and serve it with the skin on.
- You can make this dish gluten free, if you serve the bruschetta on gluten free bread.
- This dish is naturally vegetarian, to make it vegan, replace the ricotta with a dairy-free ricotta alternative.
Storage and reheating
The assembled bruschetta will not stay good as leftovers. Unfortunately the bread will become soggy and the dish will lose it’s great texture.
Fortunately, you can store leftover roasted butternut squash and apples, as well as leftover seasoned ricotta cheese, both covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can then toast up some fresh bread and make more bruschetta within 5 days.
You can serve the roasted butternut squash and apples cold or reheated. To reheat them, wrap them in foil and place them in a 400°F oven for 8-10 minutes.
More fall recipes
Add all of these popular recipes to your must-make fall menu!
Butternut Squash Apple Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 2 cups butternut squash, diced
- 1 cup apples, diced
- 6 tbsp olive oil, divided
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper, divided
- 8 slices french bread
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp balsamic reduction
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Toss the butternut squash and apples with 2 tbsp olive oil, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ½ tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
- Place in an even layer on a baking sheet and into the oven for 15 minutes.
- While the squash and apples are roasting, brush the sliced bread with 2 tbsp olive oil, set aside.
- Combine the ricotta cheese with the remaining ½ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp kosher salt, set aside.
- In a small skillet, add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the garlic and sage leaves, saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and toss with the squash and apples when they come out of the oven.
- Place the slices of bread into the oven for 4-5 minutes, or until toasted to your liking.
- Remove the bread from the oven and top with the ricotta cheese, then the roasted squash and apple mix.
- Drizzle with the balsamic reduction.
Video
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
24 Comments on “Butternut Squash Apple Bruschetta”
This was a hit!!! The flavors blend together so nicely. I did add raosred pecans for an added crunch and it did nit disappoint. If you need something new for a holiday party, this is a solid choice.
This Butternut Squash Apple Bruschetta looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of flavors and can’t wait to try it for my next get-together. Thanks for sharing this unique recipe!
This Butternut Squash Apple Bruschetta sounds absolutely delicious! I love the combination of sweet and savory flavors, and it’s the perfect fall appetizer. Can’t wait to try it at my next gathering!
Wow, this recipe looks amazing! I’ve never thought to combine butternut squash and apples on bruschetta before. Can’t wait to try it out!
This looks so good! What a great fall appetizer to make for friends!
If using frozen squash, do you think I should thaw it first?
Hi Ashley, you don’t need to thaw them first, but you may need to add 3-5 minutes to the roasting time in the oven.
This was just delicious! I used a baguette and goat cheese. The flavors blended beautifully. I made the topping early and popped it into the oven while the bread was toasting, as you had suggested. This is a keeper! Thanks!
This sounds delicious. Is this ok to serve at room temp?
Absolutely, enjoy!
Thanks for the great autumn recipe! I am having a cocktail party in November and want to make a collection of crostini with various toppings. Is this a dish that could be served at room temperature and left to sit for a couple of hours or will the bread become soggy, etc.? Thanks!
Hi Ame, I would just toast the baguette a little longer to make sure it doesn’t become soggy, other than that, it should totally be fine being left at room temperature for your cocktail party guests to enjoy!
Can you use goat cheeses instead of ricotta
Hi Lea, I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure the flavors would work great together! Enjoy 🙂
Did you purchase a balsamic glaze or just use balsamic vinegar alone? I don’t know that I’ve seen a glaze in the store…
Hi Denise, I do purchase the Balsamic Glaze. I’ve found it at some major grocery stores and at World Market, you can also purchase it on Amazon!
whitney what kind of apples did you use??
Hi Angela, I used Fuji Apples.
How does this do cold?
Hi Steve, in the past I’ve pre-made the squash/apple topping and placed it in the refrigerator, then before serving popped it back in the oven for about 5 minutes while toasting the bread, then served it warm. You could serve it cold, and it would still be delicious, but I prefer the topping to be warm, so I found this method of preparing it ahead of time to work perfectly!
Have you ever made this ahead of time?
Hi Julie! I have, I actually prepared the squash/apple topping ahead of time and placed it in the refrigerator, then before serving popped it back in the oven for about 5 minutes while toasting the bread, then put it all together. I found this method of preparing the dish ahead of time to work perfectly!
This was a great recipe! I subbed sweet potatoes for the butternut squash. It is the perfect fall dish!
Thanks so much Taryn! Sweet potatoes sound like a great substitute, yum!