Recipe ReDux: Butternut Squash Cream Cheese Spread

This month’s Recipe ReDux theme is “Dressing for Success.” While the original idea (by my friend and fellow RD Danielle at Food Confidence) was salad dressings, the theme was expanded to include spreads and condiments.

I have posted a bunch of dip and spread recipes in the past so I needed to come up with something new.  A few years ago I made a delicious pumpkin cream cheese dip that I served with cinnamon pita chips – it was really delicious! I couldn’t find my recipe for it, but decided to recreate it for this month’s post. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to roast, scoop, and puree fresh pumpkin and canned pumpkin isn’t so easy to find right now. (A couple of years ago there was a shortage of canned pumpkin and apparently this year should be better, but I had no luck finding any yet. Maybe it’s just too early in the season.) I did however find canned butternut squash, so I used that in place of the pumpkin and the end result was still delicious.

Using canned squash or pumpkin with no added ingredients and low-fat cream cheese keeps this recipe low-calorie, low-fat, and rich in beta-carotene. Portions can be kept small because a little bit of this dip goes a long way.

Butternut Squash Cream Cheese Spread
Serves 20; Serving Size: ~ 2 tablespoons

Ingredients: 

• 1 15-ounce can butternut squash
• 4 ounces low-fat cream cheese (half a bar)
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Ground cinnamon, to taste

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the butternut squash and cream cheese. Blend until well combined. Add salt and cinnamon to taste and blend well.
2. Chill and serve with pita chips, crackers, or vegetables.

Nutrition Facts (per 2 tbsp): 23 calories, 1 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 1 g protein, 4 mg cholesterol, 40 mg sodium

Check out these other great “Dressing for Success” recipes from my fellow ReDuxers!

• Carlene Helble — Carlene’s Figments Roasted Eggplant Pepper Schmeer
• Deanna Segrave-Daly — Teaspoon of Spice Sicilian Relish
• Cherie Schetselaar Grain Crazy — Fry Sauce
• Dr Barb — Nutrition Budgeteer Jalapeno Ranch Dressing is Versatile & Healthier
• Elizabeth Jarrard — Don’t (White) Sugar-Coat it Spicy Tahini Dressing
• Kara Lydon — Peace, Love, and Food Edamame Hummus
• Kat Lynch — Eating The Week Citrus Sesame Avocado Dressing
• Emma Stirling — The Scoop on Nutrition Recipe Redux Kitchen Garden Salsa Verde
• Emma Cutfield — The Hearty Heart Go-Go-Goji: Blood Building Salad Dressing
• Lisa — Healthful Sense Sweet Peanut Sauce & Dressing
• Regan — The Professional Palate Ponzu Sauce
• Danielle Omar — Food Confidence RD Recipe Redux: Your New Favorite Vinaigrette
• Stephanie Howard — Give Them Something Better Creamy Garlic Feta Dressing
• Nicole Ferring Holovach — Whole Health RD Mapple Salad Dressing
• Kristen — Swanky Dietitian Italian Vinaigrette Artichoke Dressing
• Ann Dunaway Teh — Eat to Nourish, Energize & Flourish Thai Basil Peanut Pesto
• Kristina — Love and Zest Spiced Pumpkin Dip
• Meg — Meg’s Food Reality Sweet Potato Hummus
• Gretchen — Kumquat Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
• Chris — Everyday Tastiness Pistachio Butter
• Alysa Bajenaru — Inspired RD How to Roast Garlic & a Recipe for Roasted Garlic Hummus
• EA Stewart — The Spicy RD Creamy Triple Pepper and Kale Dip
• Liz Weiss & Janice Newell Bissex — Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen Garden-Fresh Tomato & Avocado Salsa
• Jessica Fishman Levinson — Nutritioulicious Butternut Squash Cream Cheese Spread
• Diane Welland — Eat Well Eat Clean Honey Fig Jam