Holiday Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 2 pounds butternut squash
• ¼ cup walnuts
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon butter or canola oil
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• 1 ½ Tablespoons maple syrup

Materials

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Large mixing bowl
• Baking sheet
• Small skillet
• Spoon
• Peeler

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Rinse and peel squash. Cut off ends and discard. Cut squash at the neck, creating a narrow end and a round end. Cut round end in half and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Cut both ends into ¾-inch, even-sized cubes.
3. Coarsely chop walnuts. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, add squash. Toss with oil, sage, salt and ground black pepper.
5. Spread squash evenly on a baking sheet. Roast, stirring once, until tender, about 35 minutes.
6. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter or heat oil. Add walnuts and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cranberries and maple syrup.
7. Gently toss cooked squash with cranberry mixture.

Chef’s Notes

• To make flavors pop even more, stir in 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar along with the cranberry mixture.
• You can use fresh sage instead of dried. Leave out dried sage in step 4. Roll 4 fresh sage leaves into a log shape and thinly slice. Cook fresh sage in butter or oil along with the walnuts in step 6.
• Use pecans or hazelnuts in place of walnuts. Try using raisins or dried cherries for the cranberries.