I know what you're thinking. What?! Buttercup squash?! I thought this was pumpkin pie!! I know this may sound funny to you, but I have tried so many times to make the perfect pumpkin pie, and it just never turned out. It was so hard to make this pie hold together well without using eggs. As you may know, a traditional pie takes two eggs. One day I just happened to make a buttercup squash for my family - my little girls just love squash. When I was removing the squash from the shell I realized that the texture was much drier than a butternut or pumpkin. To my surprise it was also sweeter. So I thought to myself this would make the perfect pumpkin pie. I told my son Dustin, that I was going to make the next pie out of buttercup. He said that he would not eat that pie.
When it came time to make the pie my three youngest children, Elizabeth, Autumn, and Dempsey, were sitting on the bench at the counter watching me and also helping. I let them taste the canned pumpkin and the buttercup that I prepared. I wanted them to taste the difference. The canned pumpkin tasted so bland while the buttercup was delicious! I then proceeded to make the pies, one out of pumpkin and one out of buttercup.
To my surprise, the one made with buttercup tasted just like the pumpkin pie that I remembered eating in the past. I was also able to use less sugar than what I had been using. After Dustin tasted the buttercup squash he no longer wanted the one made with pumpkin.
This takes a little bit more time to prepare because you can't buy canned buttercup, but it is SO worth it. I hope you enjoy this recipe.
You will need to cook your squash ahead of time. Follow the recipe found in the Veggies & Sides section- Buttercup Squash.
In a small bowl, combine salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flaxseed meal, and flour. Stir until blended- set aside.
In a large bowl combine your squash, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Using a whisk mix well. Add to this your flour mixture and stir again. Place mixture into a pre baked 9" pie crust and bake in a preheated 350° oven for one hour. You will find the recipe for the Pie Crust following this recipe. Cover loosely with foil after the first 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Enjoy!
