Maple and Bacon Roasted Squash combines the sweetness of maple syrup with the deep smoky goodness of bacon to make this exceptionally satisfying side dish!
I am the wold's best gardener. It's true. How do I know this? Well, I planted a crop of cucumbers and got squash. Next year I'm going to try turning water into wine... It's been quite a few years since I preformed that trick.
At first I was a little confused by my gardening slight o f hand. When the squash started coming in I thought I just gave birth to some mutant deformed pickling cucumbers that were cross pollinated by some sort of hideous melon. As a matter of fact, despite having perfectly recognizable full grown squash hanging from the vine for a month or two now, it was only a few days ago that I finally realized I actually had perfectly healthy squash sitting there.
Had I known that, I would not have gone to the store to buy squash for my Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup the past week.
Oh well, it actually works out pretty good for me. I didn't have time to keep up on my canning schedule this summer, so many of the cucumbers would likely have gone to waste rather than being turned into Spicy Cider Dill Pickles. However, I did have time to conjure up some Maple and Bacon Roasted Squash for a nice fall dinner this past Saturday!
Roasted squash is a great fall side dish. Its sweet, mild flavor, makes it an ideal alternative to potatoes, and it marries beautifully with cinnamon and maple. Adding crisp bacon and pecans gives it a lively crunch that really adds great texture. This is probably my favorite seasonal fall recipe.
Anytime I bake something now I reach for my Gourmet Chic baking mats. As someone who has destroyed more nonstick baking sheets than I can count, I can't say enough good things about these dishwasher safe nonstick mats. I would have never of sought these out for purchase myself, instead the company sent them to me to try out. I had never heard of them. However, I fell in love with the mats after the first use. Nothing sticks, they are easy to clean, and I don't have to worry about destroying expensive baking sheets anymore. I highly recommend picking up a set for yourself.
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Maple and Bacon Roasted Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash peeled and chopped (~5 cups)
- ½ lb bacon roughly 8 pieces
- 2 oz pecans rough chopped
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon rendered bacon fat
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Fry bacon till almost crisp, reserving the rendered fat.
- Chop roughly and set bacon aside.
- Add cubed squash, pecans, syrup, cinnamon, salt, bacon, and bacon fat to a bowl and mix well.
- Place on a non stick baking sheet and set in an oven preheated to 400 degrees.
- Bake ~40 minutes, or until soft. Baking time will vary depending on size.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com October 11, 2015.
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Carrie
Made this for dinner tonight with our homegrown butternut squash and it became an instant favorite with the first bite! It will be a go to dish for squash! I omitted the cinnamon (just a personal preference), but could definitely see where it would add an interesting level of flavor.
Thank you for a new family favorite recipe!