Roasted Butternut Squash with Crunchy Caramelized Onions | Family Economics

By Erin

As autumn approaches, the prices of fall fruits and vegetables plummet. At our house, we do our best to take advantage of these savings by bringing more variety to our diet and eating seasonally.

My oldest son once said “Wow, it’s like a party in my mouth.” after taking a bite of steamed butternut squash, garnished with a dash of brown sugar and cinnamon. I was just thrilled that he was so excited about eating the seasonal squash I’d prepared for my family!

Here’s a perfect recipe for you to try this fall!

“Dressed Up” Butternut Squash

Ingredients

1 butternut squash
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 large white onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Dash of cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut squash in half, lengthwise and place flesh side up in a glass baking dish (9x13 inch). Add water and place uncovered in oven. Steam-roast for 45 to 60 minutes or until all flesh is tender.

While squash is cooking, put olive oil, white sugar and balsamic vinegar into a small skillet; add onion slices and cook on medium heat for five minutes. Turn heat to low/simmer and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onion mixture is caramelized, combine with celery.

Scoop out the flesh of the cooked squash and mix with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Place the squash mixture into a serving dish, adding the caramelized onion and celery mixture over the top.

Serve warm.

Do you have a favorite way to prepare butternut squash in the fall? If so, I hope you’ll share it with me.

Photo courtesy of Erin Chase.