Chewsday Tuesday: Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash

You already know that I’m a major fan of finding new veggies to serve up as a side dish. I can get so burnt out on the same ol’ sides all the time and even though I love sweet potatoes–I need a change up! Insert: Butternut squash. For today’s Chewsday Tuesday recipe, I’m sharing a super yummy (and simple as always!) side dish that you can whip up in a matter of minutes all while infusing your house with the most amazing cinnamon & maple scent! WIN-WIN in my book!

Have you tried Butternut squash? I hadn’t ever really tried it until recently, and you know what? I was pleasantly surprised with the first bite! It has a similar texture/taste to sweet potatoes but definitely has it’s own personality. Honestly, I accidentally bought a whole one last year when I was making spaghetti squash and realized it’s actually not even close to spaghetti squash at all. But, the other day when I was needing a new side to throw into the mix, I came across pre-cut squash cubes for $3.99 a tray. Convenience definitely wins sometimes for me when I’m in a time crunch and the hanger kicks into high gear. I’ve heard adding cinnamon to these babies takes them up a notch so I knew I had to try it out for myself! Well, good news-it was delicious! If you’re like me and just need something other than the weekly green beans/peas/sweet potato side–give this recipe a try for a good flavor shake up!

Here’s all you’ll need for this side dish:

1) Cubed butternut squash. (I bought the pre-cubed kind, but you can always cut up your own if you’d like!)

2) Cinnamon

3) Maple syrup

4) Olive oil

5) Salt & Pepper to taste

*Parchment paper (Serious game changer when it comes to roasting veggies and super simple clean up! I used to use foil and I couldn’t ever get the veggies to NOT stick! Parchment paper does the trick perfectly! No sticking AT ALL!)

These below are my favorite kind! They fit my baking sheet perfectly with no cutting required! Do yourself a favor and grab yourself a box next time you’re at the grocery store.

Now to the good part–the roasting! All you’ll need to do is pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, go ahead and place your cubed squash pieces on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. (Because I know you’ll buy some! ;)) Drizzle with olive oil & salt/pepper and maple syrup. Then, top it off with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Make sure everything is coated evenly to give it the best flavor all around. I like to use a pastry brush to spread my oil and syrup evenly on the top of my veggies. Works like a charm every time!

Once your oven is pre-heated, go ahead and roast them for about 20-30 minutes. Depending on how roasted you like your veggies, keep an eye on them while they’re in the oven. I like mine a little crispy, so mine took about 30 minutes. Make sure to toss around the veggies half way through the cook time to make sure they cook evenly through. Oh and make sure to sniff in all the cinnamon-maple goodness that will float all through your house while they’re roasting. It’s the best part in my opinion! 😉