All anyone seems to think about this time of year is pumpkin. Pumpkin drinks, pumpkin baked goods, pumpkin soups, you name it. What most people tend to neglect is the perfectly tasty cousin of pumpkin — butternut squash. Many people are intimated by how difficult it can be to cut, but with a perfectly sharp knife and some upper body strength there is no reason to fret. While butternut squash is popularly used in the summer, it also makes for the perfect fall-inspired side dish when roasted in the oven with maple syrup, brown sugar and other fall flavors. Try this easy maple roasted butternut squash to spice up your fall dinner!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
- Photo by Becky Hughes
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2-1 tablespoon dried sage
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. With a sharp knife or a handheld peeler, peel off the butternut squash skin.
3. Cut the squash in half vertically so you have two symmetrical pieces and scoop the seeds out with a spoon.
Photo by Becky Hughes
4. Cut 1 inch pieces and place in a bowl.
Photo by Becky Hughes
5. Add the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and mix. The ingredients can be increased or decreased based on personal preference. Sage, a savory spice, can be excluded altogether for a sweeter dish.
Photo by Becky Hughes
6. Spread out your mixture on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Around halfway through move the squash bites around the sheet with a spoon so that they don’t stick.
Photo by Becky Hughes
Photo by Becky Hughes
7. Enjoy your succulent, sweet, autumnal squash.
- Photo by Becky Hughes