Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Pecans

This 30 minute Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Pecans is easy enough to add to a weeknight meal, but, tasty enough to add to a holiday spread! I love all the great meal opportunities that come from the summer garden, but, the fall garden goodies can never come too early for me! Turning winter squash into delicious soups, and sides makes the whole house smell like fall. Pumpkin gets the most attention these days, (and I do really enjoy those recipes), but I always love the smooth, sweet, nutty taste of butternut squash. Something super special happens when it’s roasted at a high temperature! This Roasted Butternut Squash keeps a nice, crisp exterior while the insides are unbelievably soft. That melt-in-your-mouth texture perfectly complements the caramelized brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon used to season the dish! Then we add dried cranberries, and candied nuts, to add the perfect sweet and savory balance. It’s the very best of autumn, in a side dish!

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash or 2 small (4-5 cups cubed squash)
3 tablespoons butter
2½ tablespoons brown sugar
1½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ cup pecans
½ cup dried cranberries

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a small bowl. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cayenne if using.
Toss the squash cubes in 3/4 of the melted butter mixture. Spread on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake the squash 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, stir the squash well.
In a bowl combine the pecans and cranberries with the remaining butter mixture. Add the pecans and cranberries to the baking sheet in a single layer.
Roast another 10 minutes, stirring half way through so the pecans do not over cook.

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