This is an incredibly easy side dish that I could eat every night of the week. It always amazes me how delicious vegetables are when they are roasted. They don’t need anything other than a little olive oil, salt and pepper to make their flavors really shine. The hardest part of this recipe is peeling and cubing the butternut squash. If you hate doing that and you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they sell peeled and cubed butternut squash in their vegetable section. Buy a bag and this recipe will take no time at all.

When you are making this, make sure that the entire surface of the squash cubes are covered with olive oil. You also want to make sure that the squash is in a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure the cubes aren’t piled on top of one another. You want to make sure that each piece has a chance to brown.   This recipe calls for fresh thyme, which I happen to like, and I often have on hand.  If you don’t have it, or you don’t like it, skip it!   The squash will still be delicious.

Roasted Butternut Squash
Recipe from Barefoot Contessa how easy is that! by Ina Garten

1 large (4 lbs) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and 1-inch-diced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped thyme
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the squash in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, add the olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper and toss with your hands until every piece is covered completely in olive oil.. Roast until tender, tossing once during cooking with a metal spatula so the cubes brown evenly, 30 to 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

One year ago: Moroccan Carrot Dip
Two years ago: Swedish Meatballs