Butternut Squash Leek and Goat Cheese Galette
Updated Mar 17, 2025, Published Nov 06, 2022
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A buttery, flaky pastry envelops roasted butternut squash, melty soft leeks and tangy goat cheese in this French-inspired free-form tart. This rustic yet elegant Butternut Squash, Leek and Goat Cheese Galette makes a lovely starter for a fall dinner party or your holiday celebration. Or, pair it with French Onion Soup or a fresh green salad for a lovely light supper!
“Hard to trust a 5-star recipe when there are only a handful of reviews, but this one deserves it. The flavor combination is spot on!”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
If you haven’t made a galette yet, you’re about to fall in love!
This rustic, versatile free-form tart can be sweet or savory. Because it’s free-form, it doesn’t require a custard-type filling or any special pans the way a quiche or tart does.
When filled with seasonal fruit, for example, a galette makes the perfect sweet ending to any meal. When filled with vegetables such as this butternut squash galette recipe or my Mediterranean Vegetable Galette, it makes a wonderful addition to lunch, brunch, light supper, or starter for an elegant dinner menu.
This savory Butternut Squash, Leek, and Goat Cheese Galette is filled with roasted butternut squash, leeks cooked until melty soft, and tangy, creamy goat cheese. The almond garnish is optional but adds another elegant touch.
I include the directions for making your own crust, but to save time, you can use a purchased refrigerated pie crust.
How to Make a Butternut Squash, Leek and Goat Cheese Galette:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this butternut squash galette recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- All-Purpose Flour: Use bleached or unbleached. I used unbleached all-purpose flour which doesn’t have trace preservatives from the bleaching process.
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter in cooking so I can adjust the salt level in whatever I’m making.
- Cornmeal: The cornmeal does not go into the galette dough; it’s used to keep the dough from sticking to your baking sheet so you can move the dough and finished galette around easier. You can omit it if you use parchment paper.
- Butternut Squash: Butternut squash is the most readily available but other varieties of squash such as Delicata or Acorn may be used. If using those squash, seed and thinly slice. If you have the bottom portion of a butternut squash left over from another recipe and didn’t want to throw it away, this recipe is the perfect way to use it up because the amount of flesh that surrounds the bottom seedy part of a large squash is approximately 2 cups.
- Goat Cheese: The tanginess of goat cheese pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the squash and the leeks. If you’re not a goat cheese fan, use Gruyere which has a nutty flavor. It’s much different, but that nutty flavor also complements the sweetness of the squash and leeks.
- Leeks: Leeks look like giant scallions. Dirt can hide between the layers, so cleaning them thoroughly is very important. As shown below, cut in half lengthwise then slice. Fill a bowl of water, toss in the sliced leeks and swish them around in the water. Any hidden dirt will fall to the bottom. Use a slotted spoon to remove the leeks, leaving the dirt in the bottom behind.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- MAKE THE GALETTE DOUGH: Combine the flour, butter and salt in a food processor.
- Pulse to combine until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
- Add 3 tablespoons of ice water to the flour mixture and pulse to combine. Test the mixture to see if it comes together in your hand. If not, add 1 more tablespoon.
- Empty the crust mixture onto a flat surface and gently pull it together, being careful to not knead or overwork the dough.
- Roll out into a circle on a floured surface.
- Cover and refrigerate until the squash and leeks are cooked.
- Sprinkle cornmeal onto a nonstick baking sheet or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the galette dough to the prepared baking sheet. (It helps to roll the dough onto a rolling pin as shown.)
- MAKE THE FILLING: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Toss butternut squash cubes with olive oil, season with salt and black pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast until easily pierced with a knife, approximately 25 minutes. Shake the pan or stir the cubes halfway through. Let cool and drain off any excess oil.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet or saute pan. Add the leeks, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often until very soft, approximately 20 minutes. If the leeks get dry and start to stick, add a tablespoon or two of water. (Be careful the leeks don’t brown.)
- Stir in the garlic and thyme. Let cool and drain off any excess fat.
- Spread the leek mixture over the crust to about 2 inches from the edge. Dab leek mixture with goat cheese. Top with butternut squash.
- Pull the edges of the crust over the mixture to create a freeform tart leaving the center open. Brush off any excess cornmeal if using. Brush the galette with olive oil.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden. Garnish the galette with toasted sliced almonds if desired. Serve hot or warm.
Chef Tips for Peeling Butternut Squash:
- First, select one with a nice long neck.
- Slice the neck into approximately 3-inch lengths.
- Place the cut side down on a cutting board.
- With a sharp knife, slice downward toward your cutting board rotating the squash as you remove the thick peel.
- Then, to peel the bottom of the squash (the part with seeds), slice it in half from the top down.
- Place the seed side down on a cutting board and slice into ½ to 1-inch half-moons.
- Remove the peel, seeds and fibrous interior with a paring knife then cube all the flesh as desired.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes! Make the galette dough, roll out, cover securely and refrigerate. Roast the butternut squash, cool and refrigerate. Cook the leeks with the garlic and thyme. Cool and refrigerate. When ready to serve, assemble as directed.
The pastry can be made and refrigerated two days in advance or wrapped securely and frozen for up to two weeks in advance.
Absolutely!
Storage:
- Refrigerate any leftovers. Reheat in the oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees until heated through.
Make it a meal with:
- Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Gouda Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Puree
- Cream of Green Vegetable Soup
- French Lentil Salad
- Salade Nicoise
Get all my tart and quiche recipes at Quiche and Tart Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen
More butternut squash recipes you’ll love:
Butternut Squash Leek and Goat Cheese Galette
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
Galette
- 2 heaping cups cubed butternut squash, (1/2-inch cubes)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing on crust
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2-3 medium-large leeks, white and light green part only, halved and thinly sliced (approximately 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1/2 package refrigerated pie crust, or 1 roll
- 1 log (4-ounce) goat cheese
- Toasted sliced almonds, optional, for garnish
Instructions
Crust
- Combine the flour, butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons of ice water to the flour mixture and pulse to combine. Test the mixture to see if it comes together in your hand. If not, add 1 more tablespoon.
- Empty the crust mixture onto a flat surface and gently pull it together, being careful to not knead or overwork the dough.
- Roll out into a circle on a floured surface. Sprinkle cornmeal on a non-stick baking sheet or line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle that with cornmeal before placing the crust onto it.
- Cover and refrigerate until the squash and leeks are cooked.
Galette
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Toss butternut squash cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and black pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast until easily pierced with a knife, approximately 25 minutes. Shake the pan or stir the cubes halfway through. Let cool and drain off any excess oil.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet or saute pan. Add the leeks, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often until very soft, approximately 20 minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of water as they cook if they get dry. (Be careful they don't brown.)
- Stir in the garlic and thyme. Let cool and drain off any excess fat.
- Spread the leek mixture over the crust to about 2 inches from the edge. Dab leek mixture with goat cheese. Top with butternut squash.
- Pull the edges of the crust over the mixture to create a freeform tart leaving the center open. Brush off any excess cornmeal. Brush the galette with olive oil.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden. Garnish with sliced almonds. Serve hot or warm.
Notes
- Select one with a nice long neck.
- Slice the neck into approximately 3-inch lengths.
- Place the cut side down on a cutting board.
- With a sharp knife, slice downward toward your cutting board, rotating the squash as you remove the thick peel.
- Then, to peel the bottom of the squash (the part with seeds), slice it in half from the top down.
- Place the seed side down on a cutting board and slice into ½ to 1-inch half-moons.
- Remove the peel, seeds and fibrous interior with a paring knife, then cube all the flesh as desired.
- Make the galette dough, roll it out, cover it securely, and refrigerate.
- Roast the butternut squash, cool and refrigerate. Cook the leeks with the garlic and thyme. Cool and refrigerate.
- When ready to serve, assemble as directed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Hard to trust a 5-star recipe when there are only a handful of reviews, but this one deserves it. The flavor combination is spot on. I’ll be cooking this for our vegetarian dish at Thanksgiving this year.
Oh! Just had to let you know that we just made this here in Copenhagen and absolutely loved it – I have shared with everyone I know! My daughter isn’t a fan of goat cheese, but loves feta and we’ve tried it with both and still delish! A new fall fam favorite. Cheers from here.
Cheers, Erin! Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed it. I think feta would be good and you might also try Gruyere. Thanks again!
Hi, this looks delicious. Can you suggest something to serve it with? Anything else french inspired? Trying to do a french themed vegetarian meal. ??
Hi, Natalie, Thanks for your question and a French-inspired vegetarian dinner sounds lovely! You could try a poached pear salad or do poached pears for dessert.
Ratatouille would be nice, some braised lentils with mushrooms and caramelized onions or a vegetable terrine. Good luck with it!
I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving. My family is used to the same old menu so looking forward to surprising everyone. I have a feeling this will be the talk of the meal.
Absolutely delicious!!
Thanks, Barb! Glad you enjoyed!