This simple recipe for Roasted Winter Squash with Brown Butter and Sage is a quick side dish that you can prepare in just 30 minutes. It’s a great way to utilize in-season produce and celebrate Fall’s flavor.
Roasted Winter Squash
This Roasted Winter Squash is a cozy and delicious side dish for the holidays! Did you know that harvest season for winter squash can actually start in Summer and go through Fall? I’ve spied these beauties way before Fall actually sets in.
The term “winter squash” doesn’t mean that these squash are only available in winter, but rather they keep so well that they can last through winter. This was crucial to human survival in a time before modern technology.
I grew up in a tropical climate, so winter squash wasn’t a familiar ingredient to me at first. The first time I saw a pumpkin, I did not know it was edible. But I’ve come a long way, and have come to love their nutty flavor and slightly sweet taste.
The taste and texture of winter squash are somewhat similar to a sweet potato, which I grew up eating. There are many ways to prepare squash, but I prefer them cooked simply, with light seasoning that compliments and allows their flavor to shine.
For this roasted winter squash recipe, I use butternut and acorn squash. I like butternut squash for their sweeter flavor and acorn squash for their pretty shape and vibrant skin color. The combination makes for a cheerful dish! But you can use any of your favorite variety of winter squash, except spaghetti squash for obvious reason.
The most fun part of this recipe has to be browning the butter and frying the sage leaves crispy. The nuttiness from the butter being browned combine with the aromatics from fresh sage create an explosion of flavor while cooking. This awesome brown butter sage mixture is then used to dress the roasted squash. The nutty brown butter really compliments the flavor of these winter squash.
This simple recipe will be great for a quick weeknight dinner side dish or for the upcoming Fall and Winter holiday’s feast.
More Great Fall Side Dish Recipes!
- Soy Sauce Roasted Kabocha
- Dr Pepper Baked Beans
- Corn Mac and Cheese
- Garlic and Rosemary Skillet Bread
- Best Ever Mashed Potatoes
- Cinnamon Sugar Bannock
What is a Winter Squash?
Winter squash have a hard skin and flesh (this includes acorn, buttercup, butternut, Hubbard, spaghetti, as well as pumpkin and others).
How Do You Cook Winter Squash?
There are four main ways to cook winter squash, these include baking, roasting, boiling, and microwaving.
Tools You’ll Need To Make This Recipe:
- Large Baking Sheet – You’ll want to bake the squash on a large baking sheet so you can spread the slices out to roast.
- Aluminum Foil – It’s best to line the baking sheet with aluminum foil before baking for easy cleanup.
- Olive Oil – Use a good quality olive oil for best flavor.
- Saucepan – It’s best to use a small saucepan to brown the butter.
Roasted Winter Squash
Ingredients
- 2 pounds assorted winter squash (about 3 small ones)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt
- Black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
- 1 ounce unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Scrub the squash, remove top and bottom, and cut into 1/2” slices. Remove seeds with a spoon.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Get in there with your hands and make sure all the slices are coated with oil and seasoning.
- Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until fork tender.
- Flip the slices and rotate baking sheet halfway through to get even browning.
- Meanwhile, rinse the sage leaves and dry thoroughly.
- Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the bubble subsides, at this point butter will start to brown.
- Immediately add sage leaves to the hot butter and fry for 10-15 seconds until crispy and nutty. Turn off the heat.
- Drizzle brown butter with crispy sage leaves all over roasted squash, toss as needed and transfer to a serving platter.
Jessica Williams says
This looks absolutely delicious! I usually brown butter for desserts, but it’s a great idea to use it for a baked squash recipe. Thank you!
Trang Doan says
Thanks so much Jessica! Yes I love brown butter in dessert, but it goes well with squash since they both have that nutty sweet flavor.
Richa Gupta says
This looks beautiful and would make such a great side dish on the holiday table!
Trang Doan says
Thank you so much Richa! It would make a great side dish and so easy to make, yet sounds quite fancy 😉