I can hear the mumbles about opening a bottle of wine to cook with it already, but trust me, once you start cooking with wine, you’ll never be the same. And this? This red wine reduction with toasted garlic and pine nuts and a smattering of oregano might be my best work. It’s just slightly bougie (for when we want our beans to be bougie) and makes the already flavorful brothy beans SING with new flavors, acids, crunch and texture. The red wine reduction and pine nuts could be served on the squash all on its own, but with the beans, it becomes one of my ideal cold-weather dinners.
Table of contents
What is a red wine reduction?
A red wine reduction is essentially where you take red wine, and simmer it until it thickens. I can be done in a variety of ways, but it’s most traditionally done with butter! Wine is essentially an acid, since it’s fermented juice that stops just short of becoming vinegar, so the acidic nature of the wine perfectly balances with the fat of the butter, creating a rich, deep sauce.
You typically see these sauces served alongside steaks or heavier proteins, but I love to make this particular red wine reduction to glaze sweet and soft honeynut squash. I’ve found the flavor to be pretty explosive, but in a bright, salty, acidic way.
How to reheat the brothy beans if you’d like to serve them with this red wine honeynut squash
This recipe is designed to pair with my brothy beans recipe, which I’ll link here:
And that recipe makes a lot of beans, meaning they can get a bit dull over time! I like to make this squash dish and scoop it over the beans, letting the red wine reduction add some great flavor to a wholesome, filling meal.
The best way to reheat the brothy beans is simply put them on the stove over medium heat. Let them begin to steam, which means they’ll be just shy of a simmer. You can get them up to a simmer, but then they’ll be pretty hot! When in doubt, or when your stove is already preoccupied, microwaving on high heat for a few minutes also gets the job done.
What other squash can you use in place of honeynut squash?
I recommend smaller, sweeter squashes as substitutes since they can be tossed in the sauce the same way a honeynut can!
My favorite types of squash to use in place of honeynut are:
- Delicata Squash – cut into rings
- Acorn Squash – cut into small wedges
- Mini Butternut Squash – yes! They’re a thing! And yes, they are different than a honeynut, and sometimes easier to find
And that’s everything for these red wine honeynut squash on brothy beans!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Red Wine Honeynut Squash on Brothy Beans
Equipment
- 1 half sheet pan
- 1 large sauté pan
Ingredients
- 2 medium honeynut squash
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 4-5 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup red cooking wine see notes
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano stems removed
- 4 servings Brothy Beans
Instructions
- Set a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
- Core and deseed the squash, then quarter each squash lengthwise. Add these to an unlined baking sheet.
- Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season with a few pinches of salt. Mix to coat.
- Roast the squash in the oven until very tender, 20-25 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, prepare the reduction.
- Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add in 3 tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Add the smashed garlic cloves, the rosemary and the pine nuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pine nuts and garlic are golden and the whole mixture is smelling nutty and delicious, 4-5 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprigs, it's completely fine if the leaves have fallen off.
- Pour in the cup of red wine. Stir to combine with the butter. Let this simmer until reduced by half, around 12-15 minutes.
- When the mixture has thickened, add in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir to emulsify into a smooth sauce. Add half of the oregano leaves and stir. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed (I don't usually add any salt, but it's up to your personal taste).
- Remove the squash from the oven.
- Reduce the heat on the pan to low and add in the squash. Stir to coat the squash in the reduction, spooning over the pine nuts and herbs to cover each piece of squash.
- To serve, add two pieces of squash to each bowl of brothy beans. Spoon any remaining pine nuts and red wine reduction over each bowl, garnish with the remaining oregano, and serve!
Hey there! This looks amazing! I’m a big fan of broth beans with a mess of roasted veggies on top. Can you please let me know if there is a good sub for wine? Balsamic vinegar? I am sober and do not want to buy a bottle of wine if you catch my drift.
You can buy cooking wine in the vinegar section of the store! It’s undrinkable and provides a similar acid to wine, while also being much more affordable. Vinegar might get a bit too intense with this recipe, but I hope this sub works!