Recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple

Such familiar ingredients, just butternut squash cut in cubes, chopped apples, maple syrup and warm fall spices. Yet somehow these easy, fall roasted vegetables create unexpected layers of flavor and color. And isn't this one of the prettiest vegetable dishes to ever hit a table?! Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple is festive for special occasions like Thanksgiving but simple enough for weekend suppers too.

Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for Fall and Winter. Especially Pretty on a Buffet. Weeknight Simple, Weekend Special. Easily Converted to Vegan.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "Fantastic recipe! ... huge hit with everyone." ~ Andrew
• Pinterest Loves It!

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A "Real Food" Recipe from a Surprising Source

When I was first learning to cook, I had three church cookbooks, a 3x5 box for recipes clipped from newspapers and, over time, a stack of Pillsbury cookbooks, you know the ones, right? from the grocery store check-out lane?

As my cooking style veered toward "whole food" and "real ingredients", the Pillsbury-product heavy recipes no longer appealed.

So I hadn’t bought a Pillsbury cookbook in years until somehow, last year’s November issue grabbed my attention. And hey! it was a nice little recipe book, with short and seasonal recipes, good pictures, a focus on eating healthfully – all in all, my kind of recipe inspiration! If you find yourself with an extra minute waiting in a grocery line, you might scan the current issue, just to see.

This squash and apple dish is the first recipe from the Pillsbury cookbook. And honestly, it caught me by surprise – the layers of flavor are just so good, that brightness of cinnamon, that smokiness of curry, the familiar bites of winter squash and apple.

It would be a hit, I think, at Thanksgiving, especially in a buffet since it’s good served both hot and at room temperature. Later, I’d serve it with ham, perhaps pork, perhaps lamb. It has a festive feel that makes it perfect for holiday tables but a Saturday night supper, too.

How to Cut, Peel & Cube a Butternut Squash and
Keep All Ten Fingers

I'm pretty sure you like all your fingers, right?

Consider this a public service announcement. It turns out, I'm not alone in approaching a butternut squash with wary eyes. They're dense and unwieldy, perhaps better left alone.

No more. Just this week I posted a step-by-step photo guide to cutting up a butternut squash at A Veggie Venture. Learning the right technique is a revelation, I've been squash-crazy ever since learning, finally, how to tackle one of these guys.

So many people are turning to that photo guide to learn how to cut up a butternut squash!

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RECIPE for ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & APPLE

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 1-1/4 hours
Makes 4 cups

SQUASH
• 1 butternut squash, about 1-1/2 pounds, washed well
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

APPLES
• 2 apples, cored, chopped into half-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (don’t skip)

Set oven to 375F/190C. While the oven heats up, place a glass or ceramic baking dish on the center rack to preheat.

SQUASH Place the squash in the microwave for 3 minutes to soften (see TIPS). Remove the skin, seeds and membrane, then into half-inch cubes (see How to Cut, Peel & Cube a Butternut Squash). In a large bowl (see TIPS), toss the squash with remaining squash ingredients, coating the cubes well with butter and spices. Transfer to the baking dish.

ROAST SQUASH ALONE Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

APPLES Combine apples, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Arrange apples over the squash. Re-cover with foil, bake for another 10 minutes.

FINISH ROASTING Uncover the dish, stir and bake for about another 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the squash is fully cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately.

ALANNA’s TIPS Cooking the squash for just 3 minutes in the microwave softens the very outer layer just enough so that it’s much easier to slice off the ends and the skin. While it would be possible, say, to just toss the squash with the butter and spices right in the baking dish, I find that to use less fat when roasting vegetables, it’s easier to use another dish so that you can really move the pieces around, coating every last inch.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup: 105 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 7mg Cholesterol; 295mg Sodium; 21g Carb; 3g Fiber; 11g Sugar; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 2 & PointsPlus 3 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 2 This recipe has been "Alanna-sized" with reductions in fat and sugar and increases in no-calorie spices.

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A Menu for a Fall Feast

Cranberry Orange Spread & Crackers

Tender Pork Tenderloin
~ Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple ~
(recipe above)
Celery, Date & Walnut Salad
from A Veggie Venture
with Fried Bread

Apple Cider Indian Pudding

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More Favorite Winter Squash Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more winter squash recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Steamed Butternut Squash ~
~ Butternut Squash with Maple Glaze ~
~ Savory Bread Pudding with Butternut Squash, Chard & Cheddar ~
~ more winter squash recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ winter squash ~
~ apples ~
~ maple syrup ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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