Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash – Easy, healthy, delicious vegan recipe for fall. Includes link to a detailed tutorial on how to peel and seed butternut squash.
One of my favorite things about autumn is the abundance of seasonal squash in the market. Butternut squash is a particular favorite in our family. It’s naturally sweet, low in calories, and full of vitamins A and C. I’m always looking for new ways to prepare it. In this very simple recipe (which I included in my own Rosh Hashanah menu this year), I tossed butternut squash cubes with olive oil, maple syrup and seasonings to create a sweet, salty medley of flavors. The cinnamon and cayenne give it a little spicy kick– just enough to make it interesting. It may seem like a lot of squash, but when roasting the pieces tend to shrink up a bit. It’s so delicious, you’ll be glad you made the extra. If you’re only making dinner for two, you can easily halve the recipe if you wish, but I could honestly eat half the recipe by myself in one sitting. It’s that tasty.
You don’t need to pay a premium for pre-peeled and seeded butternut squash, though it certainly is convenient. It’s not that hard to prepare a butternut squash yourself. Check out my All About Butternut Squash tutorial for details and more recipe ideas. The post also talks a bit about the history of squash, because my inner food nerd loves to share these kinds of things.
This recipe is vegan, pareve, gluten free and really healthy. I’m thinking it might be a great addition to a Thanksgivukah holiday spread, too. Enjoy!
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Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
6 servings
5 minutes
35 minutes
Parve
Description
Easy, healthy, delicious vegan recipe for fall. Includes link to a detailed tutorial on how to peel and seed butternut squash.
Ingredients
- 8 cups cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeded), about 3 lbs of peeled cubes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 pinches cayenne
Recipe Notes
You will also need: 2 baking sheets, foil (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you are breaking down a whole butternut squash for this recipe rather than buying the prepared, peeled cubes, you will need a large squash (or two smaller squashes) totaling about 3 lbs. 3 oz. in weight to produce the correct amount of peeled cubes. For details on how to prepare squash for roasting, see this post.
Line 2 baking sheets with foil (optional-- protects baking sheet when the sugars caramelize so it won't be sticky/hard to clean). Spread out the cubes on the baking sheets.
Drizzle the squash on each baking sheet of squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp maple syrup (2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp maple syrup total).
Sprinkle each baking sheet evenly with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne (1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 pinches cayenne total).
Toss the squash on the sheets with clean hands to coat evenly.
Roast the sheets of squash for about 30 minutes, switching the baking sheets on their racks halfway through cooking, till the largest piece of squash is tender all the way through. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and turn on the broiler.
Take turns placing each baking sheet under the broiler for 1-2 minutes longer to caramelize (the squash should be golden brown-- careful, it will brown very fast-- don't let it burn!). Serve warm.
