I had one last vegetable from our local market–butternut squash. I had done soup just last week, so I wasn’t ready for that just yet. I ended up landing on roasted butternut squash as a side dish! I love roasted vegetables. There’s something fantastic about the caramelization and the scent it leaves in the house. Mmmm.
I tried this recipe with the same ingredients one other time, but it didn’t turn out quite like I was hoping. I had cut the squash down the middle and roasted the two halves with the skin on, just like I do when I prepare it for squash soup. Although this seemed easier (because it’s easier to peel a roasted squash), it didn’t work very well since a lot of the squash didn’t get coated with the seasoning. For the second attempt, I peeled the squash raw, seeded it and then cut it into equal size pieces. I then coated and roasted the squash on a baking sheet. This time, all the squash cooked evenly and it was nicely seasoned throughout.
Squash isn’t a vegetable I normally consider as a side, but it does work very nicely with many dishes. I’ll make this one again for sure. So, roast up a great side dish… and eat well, friends!
- 1 large butternut squash (about 3 lbs)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbs pure maple syrup
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400 ºF.
- Peel and seed the squash.
- Cut the squash into equal size pieces.
- In a large bowl, mix the squash pieces with olive oil, cinnamon, maple syrup, salt and pepper until the squash is evenly coated.
- Place the squash pieces on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet in one even layer.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and let bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the squash pieces to a serving dish.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Seems like a great recipe but just one thing, the olive oil was in the ingredients but not the instructions. I’m assuming it would be in the mixture with the maple syrup? Thank you!
Hi Irene, sorry for there delayed response, we were away from the blog for a few days. I’ve added in the oil within the instructions. It gets mixed with the cinnamon and other ingredients before placing the squash on the baking sheet. Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention.