Little Women: Sweet Butternut Squash Crumble

Little Women: Recipe #4

In one issue of the girls’ monthly periodical, The Pickwick Portfolio (based on Charles Dickens’ novel The Pickwick Papers), Beth, writing as the character of Tracy Tupman, publishes an article entitled The History of a Squash, which reads:

Once upon a time a farmer planted a little seed in his garden, and after a while it sprouted and became a vine and bore many squashes. One day in October, when they were ripe, he picked one and took it to market. A grocerman bought and put it in his shop. That same morning, a little girl in a brown hat and blue dress, with a round face and snub nose, went and bought it for her mother. She lugged it home, cut it up, and boiled it in the big pot, mashed some of it with salt and butter, for dinner. And to the rest she added a pint of milk, two eggs, four spoons of sugar, nutmeg, and some crackers, put it in a deep dish, and baked it till it was brown and nice, and next day it was eaten by a family named March.- T. Tupman

The following recipe is based entirely on Beth’s recipe, and is actually quite good (albeit very sweet)!

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

• 1 medium size butternut squash, peeled and cubed

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1.5 cups plant-based milk (I used Oatly full-fat oat milk)

• 3 eggs’ worth of egg replacer (I used Bob’s Mill Egg Replacer) - [to prepare: mix 3 Tbsp. egg replacer with 6 Tbsp. warm water. Let sit for 5 min until goopy.]

• 1/3 cup vegan butter (I used Miyoko’s)

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 2 Tbsp flour

For the topping:

• 2 cups crumbled graham crackers

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted

• 1/3 cup rolled oats

• 2 Tbsp flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9x13” casserole dish or cake pan.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cubed squash and cook until tender. Drain and return to pot (heat off).

3. Add sugar, plant-based milk, prepared egg replacer, vegan butter, vanilla, salt, and flour. Mash until everything is well-incorporated.

4. Transfer mixture to greased casserole dish/cake pan, and bake for 30 minutes.

5. While quash mixture is baking, combine crushed graham crackers, melted vegan butter, brown sugar, flour, and rolled oats in a large bowl.

6. Take squash out of oven and evenly cover the top of the squash mixture with the graham cracker/butter/sugar/oat topping.

7. Return to oven and bake for 10-15 more minutes, until nicely browned.

8. Serve as a tasty winter dessert, or as a Thanksgiving/Christmas side dish.

9. Enjoy!