When I was a kid, my parents had this agreement. It was simple: Dad would make dinner, and Mom would make dessert. I’ve heard stories that when my three older brothers were kids, my mom would make dinner, but I don’t recall those days. On the occasion that my mom would make dinner, it was often a roasted chicken. She’d really go all out and create the perfect cozy meal of roasted chicken, a side of rice, homemade bread (made in her very old school bread machine), and then her overly buttery, brown sugar roasted acorn squash.
Personally, the squash was the highlight of the meal for me. Mom would only make it in the fall, but it was the most delicious. Her process was easy as can be. Cut the squash in half, add pats of butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. She roasted them in the oven until soft, and the edges browned from the sugar. Some might even call this dessert, but at our house, it was a side dish! I make that acorn squash often, but this season, my grocery store is finally carrying honeynut squash – the mini butternut squash! These are slightly sweeter than butternut squash and are 1000 times cuter thanks to their mini size! I knew they’d be delicious when roasted with brown sugar!
The Details
Ingredients
honeynut squash or small butternut or acorn squash- they all work! salted butter canned crushed pineapple, it may sound odd, but I promise it’s going to work dark brown sugar, I like to use organic, you really can see the difference ground cinnamon chipotle chile powder, some spice to balance the sweet fresh sage flaky sea salt
Special Tools Nothing fancy here! Just a cutting board, sharp knife, and a sheet pan is all you need.
Steps
Step 1: cut the squash Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Ideally the squash is around the size of your hand. Arrange the squash cut side up on a baking sheet
Step 2: mix the sauce Mix some salted butter with a spoonful of crushed pineapple, dark brown sugar (it’s not a lot, I promise this is not dessert), ground cinnamon, chipotle powder, and salt to taste. Spoon about half of the sauce over the squash, rubbing all over.
Step 3: roast Now flip the squash and place them cut side down, and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the squash over, add the remaining butter sauce, and roast for 10 minutes until the edges are caramelized.
Step 4: brown the butter and sage Lastly, brown a little more butter with the fresh sage. The butter will brown around the sage, and the sage will get crispy! Step 5: serve Spoon the butter and crispy sage over the roasted squash. Add sea salt, and then serve these guys warm! They’re perfect and so cute too! I’m excited to serve these up for Thanksgiving this year. The options for serving this squash are endless. They can be paired with so many types of dinners. Beef tenderloin would be especially delicious! My only recommendation is to double the recipe. One pan never seems to be enough, and they’re always the first thing to disappear on the table.
Looking for other holiday side dishes? Here are my favorites: Roasted Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Salted Honey Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks Crockpot Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans Baked Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tots Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon Maple Butter Crispy Brown Butter Sage Smashed Potatoes Lastly, if you make these Brown Sugar Roasted Honeynut Squash, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
