Getting to the Heart of Winter Squash

Brighten your meal with vibrant roasted butternut squash. A member of the winter squash family (which includes acorn, spaghetti and delicata squash), this mildly sweet squash is chock full of of vitamins A, B6, C and E. Winter squash are notorious for their tough exteriors, but don’t let that intimidate you. Follow the step-by-step instructions for preparing a butternut squash, and you may be surprised how easy it is. But if you still feel like you don't have time to do it yourself, check your grocery store for fresh, diced, ready-to-cook butternut squash. In this recipe, roasting the squash at high heat allows caramelization (the browning of the squash’s natural sugars) to occur, enhancing the mild sweetness. The result is a delicious side dish fit for Thanksgiving dinner or a weeknight meal. This versatile squash can be prepared sweet or savory. Consider roasting winter squash with apples and cinnamon for a sweet side or toss squash with chili powder and garlic for another savory option. It’s your kitchen — get creative!

Ingredients

1 large squash or two medium*, alternatively 2 12oz packages of pre-chopped butternut squash

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced (fresh rosemary and sage are great alternatives)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. If using a whole squash, check out the gallery below for step-by-step preparation instructions:

[gallery link="file" columns="5" ids="7790,7791,7787,7789,7788,7784,7796,7800,7786,7785"]

3. On a large sheet pan, toss squash pieces with olive oil.