Who says maple syrup and butter are only for pancakes? This recipe for maple butter glazed squash and apples is so deliciously buttery, rich and just a bit sweet, you will happily choose them instead of pancakes. (Well, maybe!) This recipe does have a secret ingredient – apple cider vinegar! You can’t really pinpoint the vinegar, but it helps to round out and balance the flavor of the maple and butter.
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This recipe is also very straightforward, which I love in a side dish because there’s more time to focus on whatever else you may be cooking for dinner. The most time consuming step is peeling and cubing the squash, apples, and onions. After that the rest of the dish is super easy to assemble. Just mix up the glaze, pour it over the veggies and stir. The oven takes care of the rest! I do recommend stirring once during the cooking time, but I actually don’t mind that. You get to peek at all that beautiful caramelization starting to happen!
Save Time on Peeling Prep:
I had always used a paring knife to peel hard squash like butternut, but it is so time consuming and would leave a lot of the good squash behind. Recently I started peeling butternut with a vegetable peeler instead of a knife and it makes everything so much easier! Because the squash peel is a bit thicker than a potato peel, I had to make a couple swipes to get through to the orange flesh. But, in comparison to going at the tough peel with a knife, this still felt way easier, quicker and safer!
I decided to try this method after buying this OXO Good Grips Peeler recently after somehow misplacing my other two peelers (how does that happen?). I’m actually glad I lost my other peelers, because this peeler puts all the others to shame. It glides through food so nicely, it almost feels like it is doing the peeling for you. Because I had such an easy time with this peeler, I felt confident trying it on a tougher job like the butternut, and it did not disappoint!
What Pan to Use?
To make the maple butter glazed squash and apples, you can use either a casserole dish or a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Different materials can affect how quickly foods cook and get brown in the oven (glass, light metal, dark metal, etc.). So just keep an eye out on the squash in the last few minutes of cooking to make sure it doesn’t get too brown.
When choosing a dish, it’s most important to just pick one that’s big enough so the veggies aren’t piled up too high. As you can see from this picture, my veggies aren’t in a single layer but they aren’t mounded up either.
The pan I used here is the 3.6 Quart Cast Iron Casserole Pan from Lodge, in “Island Spice Red.” It’s great because it’s versatile – you can use it on the stove top or the oven. Although, I mostly just love it because it looks pretty! So pretty that there is no need to transfer food into a serving dish (saving on washing dishes too, woo hoo!).
Maple Butter Glazed Squash and Apples
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 – 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Description
Butternut squash, apples and onions are caramelized with a sweet and slightly tangy maple butter glaze. This dish is easy to assemble yet looks stunning on your dinner table.
Ingredients
- 2 apples
- 2 medium onions
- 1 small butternut squash, about 4 c. when cut into 1 inch cubes
- 6 tbsp. butter, melted
- ¼ c. maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt, plus more for sprinkling
- ½ tsp. pepper, plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°
- Peel and cube the butternut squash, onions and apples into roughly 1 inch pieces, place into a casserole dish or 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
- Mix together the melted butter, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Pour over the vegetables and apples and stir to combine.
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Stir and place back in the oven for another 20 – 25 minutes, or until the vegetables and apples are soft when pierced with a fork and browned around the edges. Stir again and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Keywords: butternut squash, apples, onions, maple, butter, glazed
Rachel
You had me at Maple Butter! This recipe has a perfect balance of flavors. Outstanding! Also, it is a very beautiful dish. Thanks for posting!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you Rachel! Add maple butter to anything and you can’t go wrong I think 🙂
Jenni LeBaron
The flavors in this are so aromatic! I would love to serve this with pork or chicken ant night of the week!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you Jenni! Pork and apples are a classic combo, sounds delicious!
Amanda
What a great flavor combination! You can’t go wrong with squash and apples, and then the maple makes it even better. Love this dish. Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks Amanda! 🙂
Danielle Wolter
i will eat anything with maple syrup. seriously. plus butter? that really all you had to say. this sounds incredible!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks Danielle! And yes me too, always better with butter (and maple syrup :))!
Aleta
Yum! This will make an excellent side dish for Easter dinner this year, I love sweet with my sweet potatoes so can imagine this will be delicious!
Kate
Thanks Aleta! Making this with sweet potatoes instead of the squash would also be good I’m sure!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
This looks so delicious!
To be honest, if you didn’t talk about the different dishes and how it affects cook time, I wouldn’t even think about that!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks Cathleen, I’ve learned that one from experience – even with cookie sheets, I’ve baked the same batch of cookies at the same time but one pan had a darker finish than the other, and the bottoms of those came out way darker. Since then I’m always careful about the finish/color of the pan I’m using!
Anna
Such a beautiful dish! I love the combination of all the flavours and ingredients here! It would make a great side dish for the Easter table.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you Anna!
Tammy
Maple roasted is probably my favorite way to serve butternut squash. Love the addition of the apples though too. So simple yet so good!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks Tammy! I love adding apples to savory dishes, gives a nice sweet but slightly tangy flavor too. I’m glad you like the recipe!
Deseree
This sounds like a great addition to Easter dinner. You really grasped my attention when you mentioned maple butter.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you Deseree! Happy Easter 🙂
Kylie | Midwest Foodie
My toddler is going to LOVE this as a side dish with dinner during the week! Definitely pinning this recipe so I can make it soon!
★★★★★
Kate
Awesome thank you Kylie! I struggle to get my 2 yr old to eat veggies too, but she will eat this! (Sometimes, depending on her mood lol).
Daniela
Yum! What a perfect dish for fall! Really appreciate your super clear instructions and explanations! Thanks so much for sharing :).
Kate
Thank you Daniela, I’m really glad you found the directions helpful!
Amanda Mason
I’m loving the ingredients in this recipe!!! I’ve never had anything like this before and I’m sitting here thinking how perfectly it will pair with so many dishes! Printing this recipe off now!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you Amanda I’m so glad you like the recipe!