Lupo Verde’s new butternut squash cappellacci, from chef Matteo Venini. (Photo: Lupo Verde)

Dish of the week:
Where to get it: Lupo Verde, Estadio, Espita mezcaleria, Cava Grill

Fall vegetables can seem boring, easily eclipsed by the colorful bounty of spring and summer. And no, decorative gourds are not food. Autumn is the time to gravitate toward hearty ingredients. One of the best is the versatile butternut squash. It’s not glamorous on the outside and seems kind of “meh.” But you can do so much with it. Blend it, puree it, bake it. It tastes good pretty much no matter what you do, and restaurants across D.C. are featuring it on their fall menus and the results are pretty damn delicious.

For one, it’s not just sit-down restaurants that are adapting to the season. Regional fast casual giant Cava Grill is getting in on the game, offering roasted squash in its seasonal vegetable melange that’s a bit of a deviation from the shop’s Mediterranean flare. Butternut squash is also available as a side dish right now at Taylor Gourmet locations where it’s served with green onions, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds.

Over at Lupo Verde (1401 T St. NW), new chef Matteo Venini has introduced tender cappellacci pasta (similar to a ravioli) that’s stuffed with roasted butternut squash, ricotta salata, fresh ricotta, golden raisins, fried sage and topped with a brown butter garlic sage sauce. The flavor combination is nothing groundbreaking, but the result is a dish that will carry you through the coldest, darkest winter nights. Lupo Vedre also has a new cobbler-style dessert with baked pear, squash and a perfect salted caramel gelato.

Butternut squash can be adapted to most cuisines, transforming to fit new flavors and uses. Estadio’s Spanish tapas menu currently features a butternut squash soup, sure to be popular all around town at this time of year—with toasted pumpkin seeds and vanilla cream. And one of the highlights of the Mexican menu at Espita Mezcarleria is the mole poblano, which counts butternut squash among its laundry list of ingredients. If you’re craving Indian, make a trip to Rasika West End for the warming butternut squash koottu (essentially an Indian stew) with tamarind, lentils, and coconut.

So as sad as it is to say goodbye to fresh corn, tomatoes and other produce for several months, squash is here to make everything better for a while. In a coming Dish of the Week post, we’ll take a look at other winter vegetables and where to get them around the city.