What to Bring to Thanksgiving: Squash & Leek Galette Recipe

So here’s a funny story. We wrapped a kitchen photoshoot last week, and I had these beautiful vegetables that we’d styled for the countertop shots: tons of yellow squash, some small butternut squash, and leeks. They looked gorgeous in the photos, and I didn’t want to just throw them out afterwards, so I brought them home with me.

Friendsgiving was coming up, and I knew I wanted to bring something other than the usual suspects. I had this random thought: what if I just asked my AI app Claude what to make with these exact three ingredients? I use AI all the time for marketing strategies, but for a recipe? Why not?

I typed in my vegetables and hit send. What came back was this caramelized leek and squash galette recipe that honestly sounded amazing. The more I read through it, the more I thought, okay, this could actually be really good.

I ended up tweaking it as I went. Added white miso paste to the ricotta because I wanted to add savory depth (this is Louisiana after all, every recipe MUST slap). Threw in some roasted shallots I had sitting around. Fried sage leaves on top because they’re like edible jewelry, and I’m extra like that.

The whole thing came together easier than I expected, and when I brought it to Friendsgiving, people lost their minds. Someone asked if I’d gotten it from a bakery. The galette looks impressive, and like you spent all day on it, but it’s actually forgiving. The whole rustic vibe thing means it doesn’t have to be perfect, which is my kind of cooking.

Anyway, I’m sharing the full recipe because if you need something that’ll wow people at Thanksgiving without making you want to cry in your kitchen, this is it!

Caramelized Leek and Squash Galette with Miso Ricotta and Crispy Sage

This takes about 30 minutes of actual hands-on prep, plus an hour in the oven. The dough needs to chill for at least 30 minutes, so plan accordingly. Makes enough for 6-8 people as a side.

What You’ll Need

For the Galette Dough (or you can use a frozen pie crust like I did!):

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

• ¼ cup sour cream

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 2-3 tablespoons ice water

For the Filling:

• 3 medium yellow squash

• 2 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded

• 3 medium leeks (white and light green parts only)

• 3-4 shallots, peeled

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons butter (for caramelizing leeks)

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (plus 8-10 whole leaves for frying)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Ricotta Layer:

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta

• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 tablespoon white miso paste

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped

• Fresh nutmeg, a few grates

• Salt and pepper to taste

For Assembly:

• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

• Flaky sea salt for finishing

• Honey for drizzling (optional)

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Dough (or use frozen pie crust like I did…highly recommend doing this!)

Mix your flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter—I use my hands for this, working it until it looks like coarse crumbs with some bigger butter chunks still hanging around. That’s what you want.

Stir in the sour cream, then add ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Don’t overwork it. Shape it into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can make this up to 2 days ahead if you want to get ahead of things.

Step 2: Roast the Veggies

Preheat your oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.

Slice the yellow squash into rounds, about ¼-inch thick. For the butternut, peel it and slice it into thin half-moons—as thin as you can get them, maybe ⅛-inch. Slice thinly on a mandolin.

Put the butternut and shallots on one sheet, yellow squash on the other. Drizzle everything with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and some of the thyme. Roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway. The butternut might need a few extra minutes. You want them tender and starting to get golden. Set aside when they’re done.

Step 3: Caramelize the Leeks (This Is Important)

While everything’s roasting, deal with your leeks. Cut them in half lengthwise, rinse them really well (leeks hide dirt between their layers), then slice into half-inch pieces.

Melt the butter with a tablespoon of olive oil in a big skillet over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and a good pinch of salt. Now here’s the thing: you need to let these go low and slow for 20-25 minutes. Stir them occasionally, but mostly just let them do their thing. They’ll get soft, golden, sweet, almost jammy. This is where all the flavor happens, so don’t rush it.

Throw in the garlic and chopped sage in the last couple of minutes. Done.

Step 4: Mix Up the Ricotta

This is easy. Combine your ricotta, Parmesan, miso paste, lemon zest, parsley, chives, and a few grates of fresh nutmeg in a bowl. Mix it all together until it’s smooth. Taste it—the miso’s salty, so be careful adding more salt. Adjust if you need to. Add the leaks once they're caramelized.

Step 5: Fry the Sage

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add your whole sage leaves in a single layer. They’ll crisp up in 30-60 seconds—watch them because they go from perfect to burnt fast. Pull them out when they’re still green and crispy, drain on a paper towel, and sprinkle with a little salt. These are your garnish, so set them aside somewhere safe.

Step 6: Put It All Together

Roll out your dough on a floured surface (or on parchment paper, which makes transferring easier) into a rough 14-inch circle. It doesn’t need to be perfect (that’s literally the whole point of a galette), but do you know what’s easier? A frozen pie crust.

If you used parchment, transfer the whole thing to a baking sheet. Otherwise, just carefully move the dough.

Spread the miso ricotta over the dough, but leave about 2 inches around the edge bare.. Then arrange your roasted squash and shallots however you want. I like doing overlapping circles, but honestly, just make it look pretty to you.

Fold the edges of the dough up and over the filling, pleating as you go around. It’ll look rustic and gorgeous. Brush the dough with beaten egg and hit it with some flaky salt.

Step 7: Bake It

Into the oven at 400°F for 35-40 minutes. You want the crust deep golden brown and the filling bubbling a little bit.

Step 8: Finish and Serve

Let it cool for about 10 minutes. Top it with your crispy fried sage leaves. If you want to get fancy, drizzle a little honey over the top—the sweet with the savory is really good. More flaky salt if you’re feeling it.

Slice it up and serve warm or at room temperature. Both ways are great.

A Few Things to Know

If you want to get ahead, make the dough a day or two before and keep it in the fridge. You can roast all the vegetables the day before, too; just warm them up a bit before you assemble everything. The leeks can be caramelized ahead of time and reheated gently.

Short on time? You already know I love a store-bought pie crust. It’s not as rustic-looking, but it’s just as delicious and will make your life so much easier.

Other things you could try: Toasted pine nuts scattered on top are really good. A drizzle of balsamic reduction instead of honey. Or if you don’t have miso, use a tablespoon of Dijon mustard in the ricotta instead—different flavor but still great.

Serving it: This works as a vegetarian main or as a really impressive side dish. It travels well to a dinner party and looks beautiful on the table.

The whole thing honestly looks way more complicated than it is. Most of it is just roasting vegetables and waiting for leeks to caramelize. It looks like you really went for it, but it’s actually pretty simple to make.

Plus, I love that this recipe literally came from me asking AI what to do with leftover photoshoot vegetables. We live in weird times, and sometimes they’re pretty great. 

Happy Thanksgiving!