A Great Italian Squash Pie Recipe To Enjoy This Season

This Italian squash pie recipe is so delicious that you will rethink everything about making pumpkin pies from scratch and embrace many other squash recipes.

Making An Italian Squash Pie Recipe From Scratch

A couple of months ago, I wanted to embrace the seasonal fruits and vegetables that are an important part of Italian cooking, so I used a couple of different squash found in Italy, roasted them up and made some delicious Italian Squash Gnocchi. This changed my life and it will change yours as well.

This recipe takes advantage of the amazing Italian squash that becomes naturally sweet after roasting and provides a delicious path to make squash pie from scratch. I’m still considering other Italian squash recipes so that I can keep using these amazing vegetables until they disappear in the spring.

Pasta Maker	Gnocchi Board	Pasta Board	Ravioli Maker
Ravioli Press/Stamper	Ricer	Bialetti Pasta Pot	Bamboo Cutting Board Set of 3
Silpat Baking Mat	Santoku Knife	Measuring Cups and Spoons	Stainless Mixing Bowls
Dutch Oven	Mesh Strainers	Stainless Colander	Stainless Steel Fry Pan

What Is The Best Squash For Pies?

Admittedly, there is a recency bias in play here, but after using these two different types of Italian squash, I can confidently say they are a great choice for squash pie ingredients. This is an easy pie recipe, but it is among my favorite homemade pies.

Winter Squash Instead Of Pumpkin

The first squash I chose is called: Delica because it seemed familiar to me. It has a round and flattened shape, with dark green skin and brown grooves. It is a good source of fiber, vitamins, beta-carotene and minerals like: magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. The stem was trimmed and coated in a layer of ornamental red or gold glittered wax. The rind is not very thin. The squashes are traditionally used for its rich, sweet, and nutty flavor with concentrated caramelized sugar notes. Delica squashes are harvested in the late summer through fall. Once cured, the squashes can be stored through the winter.

The second squash I chose seems to go by many names, like Hokkaido, Red Hokkaido, Red Kuri and the somewhat disturbing Sweet Meat. It is a thin skinned, orange colored winter squash, which looks like a small pumpkin without the ridges. This squash is a good source of fiber, and also provides vitamin A and vitamin C, some of the B vitamins, calcium, potassium, iron, riboflavin and thiamine.

Some Simple Squash Pie Recipe Variations

Understanding Condensed And Evaporated Milk Is Important

When I started making this recipe, I misread one of the ingredients. The recipe calls for evaporated milk, but I read it as condensed milk. I’m not sure if evaporated milk is available in Italy, but I didn’t see it at my local grocery store. I did find condensed milk, I bought it and I only realized at the last minute that it was the wrong thing.

Evaporated milk is unsweetened milk that has been preserved in cans. Sweetened condensed milk starts with the same process, but then sugar is added to the evaporated milk to sweeten it, which turns it into condensed milk.

Don’t Make Pie Crust From Scratch

I have made pie crusts in the past, to varying degrees of success, but this recipe focuses on the squash filling, so I used a premade pie crust for simplicity. The Paté Brisée crust is available at my local grocery store and is a common crust for tarts and crostatas here in Italy. It is a crisp, and tender pie pastry that can be used for savory or sweet recipes. It is a little different from the flakey crusts in the US, but it is easy, thin and tasty, which is what I wanted for this pie recipe.

Italian Squash Pie Recipe

• Difficulty: Medium
• Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 mins (Including squash roasting)
• Cook: 45 mins
• Servings: 8

Italian Squash Pie Ingredients:

• Premade pie crust, Paté Brisee if available.
• 2 Cups of roasted and pureed squash
• 12 Fl. oz. of evaporated milk
• 2 Large eggs
• 3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt

Italian Squash Pie Cooking Instructions

Prep The Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C)
2. Wash the outside of the squash
3. Cut it into wedges and place them skin-side down in a baking pan.
4. When the oven is up to temperature, roast the squash for 45 minutes.
5. Check with a knife that the flesh is very soft.
6. Remove squash from the oven and let cool.
7. Scrape the flesh from the skin and place in a food processor.
8. Puree the squash until it is uniform.

Prep The Pie Crust

1. Take the pre-made pie crust from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
2. Lay the pre-made dough over the pie pan. Unroll it, lightly pressing the dough into the bottom of the pan. 
3. Let the pie rest, and if it needs it, again press the dough into the corners to remove any air pockets.
4. Use a rolling pin to trip the edges by rolling it across the top.

Mix The Pie Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Beat the squash, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined.
3. Pour the filling into the pie crust.
4. Bake in the oven until a toothpick or knife stuck into the filling, about 1 inch from the edge, comes out clean. This should take around 40 to 60 minutes. 
5. If the crust is getting too brown, cover the edges with foil to prevent burning.
6. When done cooking, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool to room temperature before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Just like with your traditional Pumpkin Pie recipe, the best pie recipes are made even better with the addition of whipped cream. I didn’t use whipped cream this season, but it was definitely missing. If you are in Italy, panna would also be a great addition to this recipe.

Previous Delicious Recipes That Might Interest You

If you enjoyed this Italian squash pie recipe, then here are some of my previous recipes that you might want to try:

• A Fantastic Tuscan Tomato Soup Recipe.
• An Amazing Italian Lentil Soup Recipe.
• This Roman Gnocchi Recipe Is Delicious And Different.
• Bruschetta With Fresh Tomatoes Couldn’t Be Tastier.
• This Authentic Tiramisu Recipe Is Easy And Delicious.
• The Best Espresso Panna Cotta Recipe You Can Easily Make.
• Enjoying Fruits And Vegetables In Season In Rome Is A Treat.
• 9 Great Italian Desserts.