Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (2024)

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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 • Recipe for Perfection (1)

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.

Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (2)

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.

Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (3)

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.

Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (4)

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!

Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (5)

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!

Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (6)

5 from 10 votes

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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

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a baking dish with foil or parchment for easy cleanup.

  2. Halve the squashes, then scoop out and discard the seeds and strings.

  3. 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.

  4. Stir the pecans into the remaining butter/syrup mixture and set aside.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (7)

If you’re a maple syrup fan, you also must try these Maple Glazed Cashews.

Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (8)

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Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (9)

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Comments

  1. 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!

    Reply

  2. Bites for Foodies

    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!

    Reply

  3. Censie Sawyer

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (10)
    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

  4. Kristy @ Mommy Hates Cooking

    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!

    Reply

  5. 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.

    Reply

  6. Amanda @ Adorkablii

    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!

    Reply

  7. 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.

    Reply

    • Katie Moseman

      Hi Margaret!

      It’s funny how in different areas of the South, it’s pronounced differently. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

      -Katie

      Reply

  8. cakespy

    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.

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  9. Darian

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (11)
    Tried this today; to my surprise, it was delicious!

    Reply

    • Katie Moseman

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply

  10. Dorothea

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (12)
    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

  11. Beth

    I’m excited to try this! My mom just moved in with us for a short time and she loves acorn squash.

    Reply

  12. Melissa Chapman

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (13)
    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

  13. Tasheena

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (14)
    OMG! This recipe looks so yummy. Looking forward to giving it a try. I know my family is going to love it.

    Reply

  14. Denay DeGuzman

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (15)
    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

  15. Amber Myers

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (16)
    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

  16. GiGi Eats

    I 10000% need to pick up an acorn squash today!!

    Reply

  17. Marysa

    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.

    Reply

  18. Lisa Favre

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (17)
    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

  19. rika livingston

    I love squash! The maple butter and pecan flavors sound perfect for fall!

    Reply

  20. Karen Morse

    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!

    Reply

  21. Tiffany La Forge-Grau

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (18)
    Wow, I have never thought of something like this. I would really like to make this sometime!

    Reply

  22. HilLesha

    This looks delicious in every sense of the word! I’ll have to give this recipe a try sometime in the near future.

    Reply

  23. Ericka

    Wow! This looks so good! I’m going to making it for the family and see how they like it.

    Reply

  24. Shelley R Zurek

    Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (19)
    My husband loves acorn squash and pecans. What a fantastic recipe for him, acorn squash with maple butter roasted pecans

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash with Pecans • Recipe for Perfection (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to bake acorn squash at 350 degrees? ›

1. Place squash halves, cut sides down, in a baking dish. 2. Bake in a 350°F oven 45 to 50 minutes or until tender.

Do you remove the skin from an acorn squash before cooking? ›

Good news: you don't need to peel acorn squash. Its hard, grooved skin softens significantly as it cooks, and it's edible, too. If you do want to remove the skin, wait until after you cook it, at which point it will peel right off.

Is there a difference between roasting and baking squash? ›

Most recipes say to either bake or roast butternut squash—but what's the difference? While both cooking methods will turn the tough, raw gourd into a soft, sweet ingredient, roasting butternut squash is the more common process for achieving browned, crispy edges and a creamy interior.

Can you eat the green skin on acorn squash? ›

Next time you roast a squash like acorn, butternut or honeynut, try leaving the skins on and give them a nibble. Be sure to scrub the skin well, Joyce recommends, to remove any dirt or debris. The pleasantly chewy texture may just surprise you, plus you can never go wrong with more fiber.

Is acorn squash skin healthy to eat? ›

One half of a four inch acorn squash when eaten with the skin meets 12% of your daily fiber needs, 11% of vitamin A, contains only 86 calories, 32% of daily vitamin C, and trace amounts of other important vitamins and minerals.

Should acorn squash be baked cut side up or down? ›

How to Bake Acorn Squash. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash halves cut side up on the baking sheet. (Cut side down works too, but I prefer the slightly firmer texture that you get when you roast it cut side up.)

Can you eat the skin of roasted acorn squash? ›

A smaller vegetable than many of its squash cousins, the acorn squash has a soft, tender skin that cooks beautifully along with the flesh. It can be cut up and roasted, or stuffed and baked whole, and the skin will be just as tasty as the rest.

What is the easiest way to cut an acorn squash and a half? ›

Cut around the tip of the squash and up the other side.

Once you've made that first cut, things get easier. Continue cutting the squash around the tip, and move up the other side. It's fine to lift your knife and reposition the squash as you go, especially if it feels like your knife gets stuck.

How do you cut acorn squash too hard? ›

The first and most important thing to have on-hand is a very sharp chef's knife or a longer, thick utility knife. Lay the squash on it's side. Raise a knife 3-4 inches above the squash and give it a little chop to break into it. Using your other hand, press down on the top of the blade and slice all the way through.

How to make cutting a squash easier? ›

This fall, zap your squash for a few minutes to make it easier to cut.

How long does it take for squash to get soft in the oven? ›

Gather the ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place squash, cut-sides down, in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour 2 cups water into the dish around the squash halves. Bake in the preheated oven until tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours, adding more water as needed.

How long do you keep squash in the oven? ›

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss well. Arrange the squash in one layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

How do you know when squash is done in the oven? ›

The squash is done when tender.

The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh all the way to the peel.

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