Hard winter squashes, such as butternut, Hubbard and spaghetti squash, make their seasonal appearance as early as October, just in time to grace our tables for the holidays, and linger around for the winter.
Their quirky shapes and strange markings may be rather intimidating to some but are actually very simple to prepare. The only difficult part is peeling the thing.
Peeled, cubed and then roasted brings out the natural sweetness of this squash, but you could add a bit of brown sugar or maple syrup if you like. Low in calories, rich in vitamins and dietary fiber, butternut squash with its sweet, nutty taste, makes this a favorite side dish.
Ingredients:
- Butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Extra-virgin olive oil (delicate)
- Salt and Pepper
- Cut and discard the ends, then cut squash in half lengthwise.
- With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.
- Using a vegetable peeler or a knife, carefully, remove the peel, cut into cubes.
- Transfer to a baking sheet, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper (and brown sugar or maple syrup if using).
- Bake (single layer) in a 400* oven until golden-brown and tender, approximately 30 minutes.
