Two Trees Butternut Squash Bruschetta
The first spices you see when you walk into SpiceTopia are Ventura Spices. This is a spice collection of blends that represent Ventura! These unique herbal blends and rubs are made with products that grow in and represent Ventura County.
And we get asked all the time how to use the Ventura Spices. This roasted butternut squash recipe was created by Emily with Two Trees Seasoning in mind. Two Trees Seasoning is a unique herb blend which includes herbs and spices which grow across Ventura foothills. Mustard seed, thyme, lemon verbena, and basil along with other herbs and seasonings come together into a blend with a lovely herbiness, citrus flavor, and sharpness which pairs well with the sweet butternut squash and caramelized onions in this fall bruschetta recipe.
What exactly is bruschetta?
In the United States, we often think of bruschetta as a toasted baguette topped with tomato and basil, but throughout the different regions of Italy bruschetta toppings vary from just olive oil, to meats and fish, to various vegetables. So we didn’t feel it was too big of a stretch to use butternut squash to top this late summer and fall flavored bruschetta.
Two Trees Butternut Squash Bruschetta Recipe starts with a base of crusty toasted bread before we spread on a layer of ricotta cheese, and top it with caramelized onions, butternut squash roasted with Two Trees Seasoning Blend, and a drizzle of honey.
This fall bruschetta recipe makes a nice lunch or fancy appetizer for your next dinner party. It’s easy to make all the components ahead of time and then put it together right before serving.
Ingredients
Seasonings
Two Trees Seasoning. Created to commemorate and raise money for the Rancho Ventura Conservation Trust that has stewardship of the Two Trees growing atop Ventura Foothills, this blend is a true expression of Ventura's Foothills. A mixture of mustard seed, thyme, lemon verbena, and basil, its flavor really complements the sweetness and earthiness of the butternut squash in this recipe!
Pacific Flake Sea Salt. SpiceTopia’s Pacific Flake Sea Salt is an all-natural kosher flake sea salt, expertly produced from the crisp, clear waters of the Pacific Ocean. The crystals are shaped like small, hollow pyramids, as in the tradition of this fundamental salt style. This unrefined salt is our everyday go-to salt.
Butternut Squash. This recipe calls for cubed butternut squash. Peeling and cubing winter squashes can seem overwhelming, but with a little time and patience it’s not a hard process. We find that microwaving for a few minutes can make peeling the squash a lot easier– just make sure to pierce the skin of the squash before microwaving to keep the squash from exploding.
Peel, slice in half, remove the seeds with a large spoon, and then carefully cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
And using peeled and precut butternut squash makes this recipe all that much easier!
Onions.
Two sliced onions seems like a lot of onions, but they will cook down quite a bit. When slicing your onions, slice them on the thicker sides rather than thinly. This will ensure your onions hold up to the long cooking process of caramelization.
When caramelizing the onions, be sure to cook the onions low and slow--we use the number 2 setting on our gas stove. Watch the onions carefully for the last 10 minutes of cooking and stir often to make sure they do not burn.
Ricotta Cheese. Ricotta cheese is a fresh Italian cheese. This creamy cheese has a slightly sweet flavor that pairs well with the caramelized onions and butternut squash. And it provides a creamy base for the bruschetta.
Bread. You’ll want to choose a loaf of crusty Italian or French bread for this recipe. Bruschetta is always best when the bread can stand up to the toppings without getting soggy.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This recipe uses olive oil both for caramelizing the onions and toasting the bread. Use an olive oil you enjoy that has a good flavor on its own. We enjoy Masalina Ranch Olive Oil.
Balsamic Vinegar. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar gives this bruschetta recipe a depth of flavor. SpiceTopia’s Balsamic Vinegars are imported from a single-family-owned vineyard in the Modena region of Italy. Seventy percent cooked grape must are combined with the highest quality wine vinegar producing a full-flavored balsamic with a wonderful viscosity.
Technique or How to Make Bruschetta
This make ahead recipe takes a bit of time to make, but isn’t hard. It’s one of those recipes where many steps can be happening at once.
Start by preheating the oven. Then prep the onions and get them started cooking. While the onions caramelize, go ahead and prep the butternut squash and get them roasting. Then toast your bread. Everything should be finished at about the same time.
If making your bruschetta ahead of time, at this point wrap the bread for later, store your butternut squash and onions in the fridge until ready to assemble and serve your bruschetta.
More Recipes Featuring Two Trees Seasoning
Let’s get cooking!
- 12 oz Butternut Squash (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
- 1 tsp Two Trees Seasoning
- 7 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided use)
- 1.5 tsp Pacific Flake Sea Salt
- 2 Onions (sliced)
- 4 oz Ricotta Cheese
- Bread (loaf of crusty French or Italian bread)
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- drizzle Honey
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
While oven preheats, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter into a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook onions until deep golden brown and tender, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add Balsamic Vinegar and cook 5 more minutes.
While onions are cooking, mix 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, ½ teaspoon Salt, and Two Trees Seasoning with butternut squash. Roast 15- 20 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.
Slice baguette in half. Brush with some olive oil and toast, cut-side down in a large skillet (or under the oven's broiler) until golden brown and crisp.
Top with ricotta, butternut, caramelized onions and butternut squash.
Drizzle with honey.
Enjoy!
