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By Katie Moseman 30 Comments
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Rich, sweet roasted acorn squash is doused in maple butter and filled with maple butter roasted pecans to make it even more delicious.
Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans
Once the tremendous heat of summer fades into the coolness of fall, I feel free to enjoy cooking even more than usual. It seems like less of a drawback to turn on the oven, and instead of resenting its warmth, I look forward to it.
For that reason, I’m much more likely to experiment with baking during fall. It adds a pleasant seasonality to the rhythm of life here in Florida, where there are far fewer visual signals (such as turning leaves) with which to observe the change of seasons. Roasting is a wonderful cooking method and can be used for all kinds of vegetables from squash to Brussels sprouts.
Roasted squash is a well-known fall side dish, but I’m adding my own twist by incorporating some contrasting flavors. In addition to maple butter and crunchy pecans, I’ll be garnishing the finished roasted acorn squash halves with blue cheese crumbles. The piquancy of blue cheese and the sweetness of the squash bring an elegant balance to this dish.
Blue cheese crumbles are a wonderful garnish. You can sprinkle a little or a lot on salads, side dishes, soups, pizza, sandwiches, and main courses. It adds flavor without as many calories as blue cheesing dressing.
The combination of roasted squash, nuts, and sharp cheese works well in many combinations. Although maple roasted acorn squash is my personal favorite, there’s no reason why you couldn’t change it up. I think cubed butternut squash, walnuts, and goat cheese would be really good, too!
Tips for Making Roasted Acorn Squash
- Be careful when slicing the acorn squashes in half. The skin is tough, but control the force of the knife so that it doesn’t slip and endanger you.
- Did you know that Grade B maple syrup works wonderfully for cooking? Most of us are familiar with Grade A, which has a more delicate maple flavor, but Grade B is stronger and well suited for keeping its flavor even when cooked. Either grade will do for this recipe.
- If you’re looking for the best of pecans, seek out Georgia pecans. (I may be biased; my mom is from Georgia and has gifted me with many a bag of Georgia pecans over the years.) And say it “PEEH-cans,” not “puh-CAHNS” if you want to sound authentic.
- I usually have unsalted butter in my fridge, but if you have salted butter, simply omit any extra salt.
If you like this recipe, you’ll LOVE my new cookbook that’s all about veggies!
Watch the Video Below!
5 from 10 votes
Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans
Rich, sweet roasted acorn squash doused in maple butter and filled with maple butter roasted pecans, then topped with blue cheese crumbles.
CourseSide Dish
CuisineAmerican
Keywordautumn, comfort food, fall, thanksgiving, winter
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 282 kcal
Author Katie Moseman
Ingredients
- 2acorn squash
- 2tablespoonsunsalted butter
- 2tablespoonsreal maple syrup
- 1pinchsea salt
- 1/2cupchopped pecans
- Blue Cheese crumblesto taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a baking dish with foil or parchment for easy cleanup.
Halve the squashes, then scoop out and discard the seeds and strings.
Melt the butter with the maple syrup and sea salt, then stir to combine. Brush the cut sides of the squash with the mixture, allowing it to puddle in the center of each half.
Stir the pecans into the remaining butter/syrup mixture and set aside.
Bake the squash in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and scoop the pecans evenly into each squash half. Return the pecan-filled squash halves to the oven for 10 minutes.
When finished, garnish with blue cheese crumbles and serve warm.
Recipe Video
Nutrition Facts
Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans
Amount Per Serving
Calories 282Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 115mg5%
Potassium 844mg24%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 1020IU20%
Vitamin C 23.7mg29%
Calcium 129mg13%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
If you’re a maple syrup fan, you also must try these Maple Glazed Cashews.
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Comments
Cindy Gordon
Now THAT looks delicious! I love the addition of blue cheese! I have to look for that! It would be so easy to add to dishes! My Mother in Law LOVES blue cheese, I’ll share this with her!
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You’ve combined some of my favourite foods, root veggies and pecans!! Also, I LOVE salt…I probably eat way too much more than I’m supposed to!
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I love acorn squash but I have never thought to prepare it with Maple butter. What a great flavor combination. Talk about a totally perfect fall recipe. Yum. I am going to make this next week.Reply
Real Maple Syrup is one of my favorite things in this world! Especially this time of year, it is the ultimate form of comfort food. What a great idea to add cheese to roasted Acorn Squash!
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Kim Croisant
What a perfect recipe for my Thanksgiving dinner. My husband loves Blue Cheese and I love pecans in anything!!! This combination is perfect, and I can only hope I can fit it in to my already planned menu. Thank you.
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- See AlsoCranberry Orange Sauce Recipe
This actually sounds really good and I don’t like squash… HAHA. Maybe I’ll give it a go again to see if maybe I will like it this time around!! This is perfect for the holidays for sure and I am positive it’s something that would be a hit this Thanksgiving!
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Margaret
In Alabama we would never say peeh- cans. Only a yankee ? would say it that way. We say puh-cahns! I am making this for lunch today though.
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Katie Moseman
Hi Margaret!
It’s funny how in different areas of the South, it’s pronounced differently. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
-Katie
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DANG does this ever look good!! I love the idea of this maple butter business! <3 These little squashes are like nests of nourishing awesome.
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Katie Moseman
This is possibly my favorite vegetable recipe ever. We had our first cold day today (Florida!) and it sounds really appealing to me even at 8 in the morning.
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Darian
Tried this today; to my surprise, it was delicious!Reply
Katie Moseman
So glad you liked it!
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Dorothea
I’ve got this in the oven right now. Making it for my daughter and husband while I babysit. It smells delicious! Can’t wait to hear how the like it.Reply
I’m excited to try this! My mom just moved in with us for a short time and she loves acorn squash.
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That acorn squash looks amazing so I have to look for them where I shop. I love how you combined all those different flavors into a great fall dish.Reply
OMG! This recipe looks so yummy. Looking forward to giving it a try. I know my family is going to love it.Reply
What a gorgeous fall recipe! It looks so delicious. I’ve saved it to Pinterest to make it later this month. This acorn squash is stunning.Reply
Wow, this looks so delicious! I’ve never had anything like this. I need to try it out for sure. These photos are making me drool.Reply
I 10000% need to pick up an acorn squash today!!
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My grandmother used to make acorn squash with maple syrup, so this recipe really takes me back to my childhood. I haven’t used maple butter before but it all sounds like a great combination.
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This recipe looks absolutely incredible! I love squash and pecans so it’s totally meant for me – can’t wait to try and make it myself!Reply
I love squash! The maple butter and pecan flavors sound perfect for fall!
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Okay, I need to give this one a try since I love butternut squash! I love the combination of the maple syrup with the saltiness of the cheese. It’s definitely going to bring out yummy flavors. Thanks for the recipe!
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Tiffany La Forge-Grau
Wow, I have never thought of something like this. I would really like to make this sometime!Reply
This looks delicious in every sense of the word! I’ll have to give this recipe a try sometime in the near future.
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Ericka
Wow! This looks so good! I’m going to making it for the family and see how they like it.
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My husband loves acorn squash and pecans. What a fantastic recipe for him, acorn squash with maple butter roasted pecansReply
