So fall is finally upon us. It’s time to make squashes and pumpkins. My favorites include acorn, butternut, and kabocha. They are simple to make and each bite reminds me of fall foliage, warm crackling fire, and the coming of the Thanksgiving holiday. Acorn squash is easy to use because you can just roast it by itself without having to peel it like butternut and the flesh is soft, not like a kabocha where you need to take an axe in order to cut it open.
Another thing I like about roasting squashes is a set-it-and-forget-it type of a recipe, especially when I’m roasting meat, there is extra space in the oven. Why waste the heat? I love this roasted acorn squash recipe because it’s more a dessert than a side dish and a perfect way to invite autumn to your home.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium acorn squash
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Directions:
After rinsing the acorn squash, cut it in half on the long side and then scoop out the seeds. Feel free to roast the seeds separately, they are similar to pumpkin seeds. Carefully, use a knife to score the flesh both vertically and horizontally at about ½” apart. Do NOT pierce the skin or else all our yummy sauce will leak through.
Rub 1 tbsp of butter into each half of the acorn squash and pour in the maple syrup and add in brown sugar. Depending on your sweetness profile, you can add more sugar or less sugar. I like mine almost like a dessert so sometimes I add an extra tbsp. Lastly, sprinkle the squash with cinnamon.
Roast in a 400° F oven uncovered for about 1 hour. About every 15-20 minutes, pull out the squash and continue to baste the squash with the butter sauce by spooning it along the edges. After an hour, the squash should be fork tender and the sauce should be caramelized. Sometimes, if the squash is very moist, I would have excess liquid so I end up pouring everything into a small pan to reduce the sauce down by 50% to create this beautiful smelling caramel sauce that I pour over the squash just before serving.
Time to eat it! I like to just use a spoon and dig in (after it’s cooled down a bit). 
- 1 medium acorn squash
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- cut the acorn squash in half on the long side and scoop out the seeds
- score the flesh vertically and horizontally to create about ½” squares (do NOT cut through the skin)
- rub with butter
- pour in maple syrup and add in brown sugar
- sprinkle cinnamon
- Roast in 400° F oven for about 1 hour uncovered, baste every 15-20 minutes
- Remove and serve