A delicious, healthy recipe for roasted spiced butternut squash! Cubed butternut squash tossed with herbs, a pinch of cinnamon and olive oil for a delicious, healthy side dish!
Preheat the oven to 350°F convection or 375°F standard.
Line one to two baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Peel the butternut squash:
On a sturdy cutting board cut the top and the bottom off of the squash. Slice the squash in half (short ways) just above the bulbous part. Using a vegetable peeler (I use a Y-peeler), peel both halves of the squash. Be careful, because they get a bit slippery when the flesh is exposed to air.
Cut the round half in half lengthwise exposing the seeds. Scoop out the seeds with a large spoon and discard or save to roast! Slice vertically into strips about 1 cm wide, then turn and cut each strip into cubes.
Set the long half upright on the cutting board. Carefully cut into 1 cm sections. Take each section and slice into 1 cm strips. Turn and cut each strip into 1 cm cubes. Place all the cubes in a large bowl.
Add rosemary, sage, half the salt, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of cinnamon. Toss to coat the squash, then pick one up and inspect it. This is the easiest way to tell if it is properly seasoned. They should have a slight glisten (not be wet with oil) and you should be able to see some salt crystals. Add more salt and oil if desired.
Spread out on prepared baking sheets and bake in preheated oven 20-30 minutes. Give them a toss and rotate the baking sheets after about 10 minutes. To promote browning, make sure the squash cubes are spread out on the sheets and place them on the top and bottom racks of the oven. Baking on convection also helps. Do note that baking on convection will reduce the baking time by 8-10 minutes!
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Notes
Please note that every butternut squash is a different size. This recipe is written for approximately 4 cups of cubed butternut squash. Just add the oil and salt a bit at a time, toss to coat and then inspect to see if you should add more.