Thanksgiving makes me think of family and comfort food. Gathering with the people you love the most to eat a meal that you’ve prepared together is priceless. One of the foods I love to use throughout the fall and on Thanksgiving is winter squash. There are so many different ways you can prepare and use squash to make savory and sweet dishes. This custard dish is a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving dessert table and best of all it’s filled with many nutrients from the squash.

Winter squashes delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart­friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium which is important for bone health, vitamin B6 which is essential for proper functioning of the nervous and immune system. No one will even guess it’s healthy because it’s so delicious.

Winter Squash Custard

Winter Squash Custard logo.jpg

Ingredients

• 2 cups winter squash such as Butternut, Acorn or Kabocha puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon organic cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk, heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and put a kettle of water on to boil. Lightly grease 6 glass custard cups with butter or oil and set aside
2. Combine the squash, eggs and sugars in a large bowl. Stir in dry ingredients. Add milk and stir until a smooth and uniform consistency is reached. Pour the squash mixture into the prepared cups and place them in a 2 inch deep roasting or baking pan. Pour boiling water in the pan to a death of least a inch.
3. Carefully place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. Start checking at 40 minutes to see if it's set. Once a toothpick comes out clean the custard is done.
4. Turn off the oven and open the door to allow to cool until the custard cups can be safely removed.
5. Serve warm or chilled with homemade whip topping (recipe below)

Homemade Whip Topping

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

1. Using a glass bowl put all ingredient in and blend with an immersion blender or mixer until it becomes thick with peaks.

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving foods? Share your fun healthy recipe in a comment to inspire others to cook together as a family!