Roasted Maple-Chipotle Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is without a doubt my favorite squash. Its sweet, nutty and buttery flesh is a prize I treasure each fall and winter. Butternut squash lends itself to a myriad of applications and flavors, making it perfect to use in a variety of recipes. Though, I will tell you, I hate its hard skin whose purpose is to protects it through the winter, allowing it to be stored longer. I swear I grunt and moan every time I cut through a butternut squash. But once you've dealt with that it's all fun.

 
My favorite way to prepare butternut squash, like most fall and winter vegetables, is to roast it in the oven. All it requires is a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. However, I like to play around with seasonings since I eat this winter squash so much. My favorite way to roast this squash is with maple syrup and ground chipotle chili peppers.
I love the play between sweet and spicy. Mix those flavors with a buttery tender, slow-cooked squash and you've got a winner. My purpose in making these cubes of delight is to top a nice winter salad, but most the time I'm eating them straight out of the pan while they cool. There's something that makes me pick incessantly at the pan, one bite will be spicy, the next sweet and so on.

You can add anything you want to your salad. I enjoy mixed greens, arugula, hazelnuts, dried cherries or cranberries, sometimes I'll add homemade sun-dried tomatoes, just add what you like. Last time I even topped it splashed my salad with a pomegranate white balsamic vinegar.


Roasted Maple-Chipotle Butternut Squash
by Becky of Project Domestication

Ingredients:
3 lb. butternut squash, peeled and diced 3/4-1/2 inch
1/3 c. olive oil
3 TB. pure maple syrup
1-3 tsp. ground chipotle chili peppers (only use 3 tsp if you can handle major heat)
1 1/2 - 2 tsp. Redmond Real Salt (or Kosher salt)
freshly cracked pepper (to taste, about 1/2 tsp)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add butternut squash to rimmed baking sheet or glass baking pan. Add oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Toss with hands. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring and flipping three times. Butternut squash will be soft when poked with a fork and slightly caramelized. Start checking at 25 minutes, depending on your oven.

Notes:
- Recipe may be cut in half if using a a 1 1/2 pound squash.
- This recipe uses a good amount of olive oil and maple syrup, it's meant to be that way. I'll like to use the remaining juices to dress my salad.
-  Great on salads. Pair with mixed greens, arugula, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, dried cherries and cranberries. Cheeses like Parmesan would also be nice.
- First photo has 1 tsp chipotle and the second has 3 tsp.

Other butternut squash recipes:
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Roasted Butternut Squash on Heather's Dish
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese on Two Peas and Their Pod
Baby Spinach Salad with Honey Roasted Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Seeds, Gorgonzola and Dried Cherries on Skinny Taste
How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash + Recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen
Roasted Butternut Squash over Farro and Chickpeas with Toasted Cumin Yogurt Dressing on Vintage Mixer