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Fall meals will never be the same
You’ll see – this dish is beyond delicious. I’ve made this tasty Chili Roasted Butternut Squash for innumerable family and friend gatherings, and it is always a hit.
How does your family “do” Thanksgiving? Do you have the same treasured old stand-bys year after year, or do you like to find the latest trends? Does one person do all the cooking, or do you split things up, with different people bringing things to share? Do you travel? Stay home and have company over?
I’m pretty nosy aren’t I? Seriously, I do love hearing about the traditions in other families. If you would like to answer any of these burning questions that I have posed, please feel free to do so down in the comments.
How we do Thanksgiving
I’ll even answer my own questions: We use a mixture of old and new recipes. We split up the cooking. And we always go to my sister and brother-in-law’s in Massachusetts. There’s poker, wine, Black Friday shopping, and a lot of thankfulness that we get to be together. And now we have a bunch of grandchildren, so its’ even more fun.
What there is mostly though, is food. Growing up in a family of great cooks means you have to be on your toes when it comes to the holidays. Expectations are high. I’ve already told you about our favorite Southwest Cornbread Dressing. Today, I have another side dish that may be out of the ordinary. It’s Chili Roasted Butternut Squash and it truly is one of the best ideas I have ever had.
Easy!
It is really easy too, which is nice when you have a lot of other things to prepare – you can even do it ahead and reheat it at dinnertime if you’d like.
This is not limited to Butternuts – any smooth-skinned winter squash will be nice. It will be a lot easier to peel a winter squash that doesn’t have bumps and ridges all over it,so smooth is best.
Chili Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- Butternut squash - about a 4 to 5 pounder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1.5 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder maybe less, if your guests aren't too fond of spiciness
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- additional salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350º. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper. It's best to use two baking sheets, to ensure even roasting and to get some nice color on the squash.
- Begin preparing the squash by cutting it in half from top to bottom.
- Lay the halves cut side down on a cutting board. [it is best to put on a pair of disposable gloves when cutting up squash - the moisture in winter squash turns into an impenetrable coating on your hands once it dries. Not harmful, but no fun to get off either, so save some time and put on the gloves]
- Use a sturdy vegetable peeler to peel all of the skin from the outside of the squash.
- Flip the halves over, and scoop out the seeds.
- Cut the squash into 1 inch cubes.
- Place all of the cubes in a large bowl, and drizzle over the oil oil. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and mix with a large spoon, to get everything coated in the oil.
- Spread the squash out on the prepared baking sheets - it should be in a single layer as much as possible.
- Roast the squash in the oven for 50 to 70 minutes, stirring every so often to get it evenly cooked.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cumin, paprika chili powder, onion powder, cinnamon and garlic powder. If needed push the mixture through a mesh strainer to get out any lumps.
- When the squash is easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, and it pretty soft, dump all of the squash onto one baking sheet. Melt the butter and pour over the squash, followed by the sugar and spice mixture. Gently mix it all together, and then spread it out evenly again [though it will be more crowded now of course]
- Return to the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the sugar has somewhat caramelized.
- Remove to a bowl and serve hot. If making ahead, allow it to cool still on the sheet pan, then refrigerate until dinner time. It will take 30 minutes or so to reheat, in a casserole dish, uncovered at 350º.
Notes
It is pretty darned amazing stuff, and I hope you will love it!
How to Cook a Fresh Pumpkin
Pumpkin Beer Bread
Molasses Apple Cobbler
My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
The Best Turkey Gravy
Southwest Cornbread Dressing
I also love hearing about family traditions. It seems even now when our surrounding are changing by the nano second, we still hold those traditions near and dear. I do hope that never changes:)
I actually meant to make the Butternut that’s in the fridge for dinner tonight but I simply forget! Everything happens fopr a reason they say, hmmmm….I’ll be trying out this recipe ASAP! I know I’m going to love it and Marion well, Marion will most definitely give it a try!
Thanks for sharing, Donalyn…
This is definitely one of those dishes that…once you’ve had it, you’ll always want it! I can see why the family “requires” you to bring it to Thanksgiving dinner. Love butternut squash with chile powders, but I’ve never added cinnamon to the mix. Need to try that next time.
What a great idea to spice up the butternut nut with chili! It sounds like a tasty side dish. We usually celebrate with friends and family and lots of delicious dishes. J+C
The butternut squash looks absolutely amazing! As a chilli addict I am convinced everything tastes better when hot, so I’m sure these cubes are fabulous.
Love the addition of chili to this dish, it sounds fantastic.
How do you cook pumpkin when it’s already peel
Spicy squash was very good.
Thanks Dean!
This is one of my wife’s favorite recipes and I am not sorry about that! 🙂
That’s great Ed!
I have made this recipe successfully so many times and everyone loves it. The best squash recipe in my opinion.
That makes me happy to hear, Laur. Many thanks!
Just perfect – we loved this!
I’m glad – a favorite of ours as well 🙂