Butternut squash is a fall heavyweight in my opinion. It pairs well with a variety of flavors and can reinvent itself either sweet or spicy. In this case, we are talking naturally sweet which really develops as it roasts. And you all know that butternut squash is very nutritious with the flesh full of vitamins A and C.
It was a gift from our compost. I noticed squash vines starting to grow in our herb bed backed by a trellised fence. We hadn’t planted any squash so I knew it came from when we composted the garden earlier in the season. Plus the rosemary was freshly picked from our herb garden. Thank you Mother Nature!
Oops, I completely forgot to add the 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar. It really wasn’t needed taste-wise because our squash was naturally sweet, but the sugar was more a conductor for caramelization. Although our cubes were lightly browned without it.
This recipe calls for a specific amount of squash, so you may have some leftover. Ours weighed in at 3.3 pounds—a good bit larger than the recipe called for. After peeling and seeding, your squash will lose 2-3 ounces of weight. For example, a 3-pound squash will yield about 2 pounds 13 ounces of flesh. This recipe calls for 2 pounds of diced squash, you’ll want to look for a squash that is around 2 pounds, 3 ounces in weight.
If you have leftovers like us, you may want to sauté the extra cubes and use them in a future frittata, salad or side dish. The toughest part of this recipe is peeling the squash, so it is permissible to buy already cubed, just make sure they are cut to 3/4″ cubes and uniformly sized.
Roasted Rosemary Butternut Squash and Shallots
Ingredients
- 3 cups 3/4-inch-diced, peeled butternut squash (from about a 2-pound squash)
- 4 medium shallots, peeled, root end left intact, quartered
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin oil
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Put the squash cubes on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Add the shallot quarters to the squash.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables; toss to coat. Sprinkle the rosemary, salt, sugar and pepper over the veggies. Toss to coat again and distribute evenly over the baking sheet.
- Roast for 20 minutes. Stir, then continue rosting until the veggies are tender and lightly browned, 10-15 minutes more.
- Before serving, taste and season with more salt if desired.
Adapted from a recipe found on finecooking.com
Accounting for Taste 
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