Necessity is the mother of invention, and last year at about this time I was a grandmother with one serious need for an inventive ingredient swap! That summer's unusual weather had affected the pumpkin crop and made canned pumpkin a scarcity. When you could find the canned stuff on the store shelf, it was very pricey.

As there was no way I was going to settle for a pie-less holiday, I set out to try my hand with various pumpkin substitutions. My skepticism was quickly squashed and a clear winner presented itself: butternut squash!

I had cooked with butternut squash many a'time in the past, but never really appreciated its degree of versatility. Ideal for creamy winter soups or for plumping up pasta and rice dishes, roasted butternut squash is also an ace pumpkin impersonator! I've yet to find a pumpkin recipe where a substitution hasn't worked.

Start by picking the best little squash specimen you can find. I've learned that the trick is to look for a firm squash with smooth, evenly-colored skin. (Blemishes are not our friends, friends!) The ideal butternut has a fairly small rounded end and a thick neck, indicating fewer seeds and more flesh.

To prep for roasting, begin by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half length-wise and remove all the seeds and any large strings. Place on a baking sheet and brush the whole entire thing with olive oil. Roast for one hour or until the inside is scoopably soft. Once the squash has cooled and is easy to handle, spoon the flesh into a bowl and mash. 1 1/3 cups of mashed butternut squash is equivalent to a standard 15-ounce can of pumpkin!

The results are so surprisingly good that I've continued to use this method in some of my baking this year! Your guests will never know the difference. In fact, the Kitchen Crew and I recently feasted on Marieann Johansen's Pumpkin Dump Cake and no one was the wiser that I had done a switcheroo with the pumpkin!

"This is a tiny bit more work then the regular dump cake, but well worth the effort," explains Marieann.

We couldn't agree more! This recipe exemplifies the flavors of fall and is absolutely delicious whether made with pumpkin or butternut squash.

Whether in a pinch or just looking to experiment, feel free to substitute at will!