Maple sage roasted butternut squash is packed with delicious fall flavor. Coated with maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil and sage, this makes the perfect side dish to any fall or winter dinner.
Butternut squash is hands down one of my favorite vegetables. It is packed with vitamins, naturally sweet and very versatile. You can make soup out of butternut squash, put it in pasta or even put it in enchiladas. Sometimes though, simple is best and one of my go-to ways of preparing butternut squash is roasting it in the oven. It really brings out the sweetness of the squash.The ONLY draw back to butternut squash it getting it ready to roast. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy the pre-diced squash you can find at the store. It just does not taste the same. The flavor is not as bright and sweet as a freshly cut squash.
How to cut butternut squash
My little trick for easier squash cutting is putting the squash in the microwave for approximately one minute. This helps make it easier to cut the ends off and then to remove the skin with a sharp vegetable peeler. Once the skin is removed, cut the squash in half and then scoop out the seeds. You can then dice up the squash for this recipe.
Sage is one of those herbs that just screams fall to me. Adding it to the the sweetness of the maple syrup and squash just really puts this maple sage roasted butternut squash into an out of this world category. Using just a few simple ingredients to highlight the butternut squash is really the key to this recipe.
I enjoy serving it with roasted chicken or pork for a quick week night meal or even as a lower calorie side dish for the holidays.
Maple Sage Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 fresh sage leaves chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
- Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Microwave a large butternut squash for 1 minute to soften.
- Using a large knife, cut off the top and bottom of squash.
- Use a vegetable peeler to cut off skin.
- Cut the squash into 2 pieces and scoop out seeds.
- Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, mix together maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and sage leaves.
- Add the squash and mix until squash is covered.
- Spread squash on baking sheet and place in oven for 30-40 minutes. Flip squash after 15-20 minutes.
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