Sweet Roasted Squash

This fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants squash recipe was one I put together for our family Thanksgiving. It was one of the star dishes, and one that I couldn't wait to show all of you.

I used a butternut squash, but any kind of fall squash would work.

Give your squash a good peel and then cut in half lengthwise.

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and goop.

Once your squash are all clean, they're ready to dice.

Now for the good part. Put all your squash on a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet, and sprinkle with brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Dot with butter and drizzle with some maple syrup.

Toss your squash to make sure all the pieces are well covered.

Roast in a 400F oven for 45-55 minutes. Stir every 10-15 minutes to make sure every side of the squash gets caramelized.

Because it was Thanksgiving, and the oven was pretty crowded, I roasted the squash ahead of time and then placed it in a casserole dish to be reheated. I poured some heavy cream over the top to make a sauce and to help the squash reheat evenly. If you're serving the squash straight out of the oven, you could skip this step.







The squash gets wonderfully caramelized, with a little zing from the pumpkin pie spice and some heat from the cayenne. It's sweet and hot and creamy all at once. Make this for your next dinner, and listen to your guests rave!

 

Recipe: Sweet Roasted Squash

1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cubed

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

2 tbsp. butter, diced

1/4 c. maple sugar

1/4 c. heavy cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Toss squash with brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Lay squash on a shallow baking or cookie sheet; dot with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Roast for 45-50 minutes or until squash is tender and caramelized.

Drizzle with cream if desired.