Recipe: Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

While this dish is baking your kitchen will smell heavenly - maple syrup, butter and cinnamon bring out the warm sweetness of everyone's favorite squash. To make prep go faster I prefer to cook it with the peel on and then scoop out the butternut flesh at the very end. However, it will be a prettier result if you take the time to peel and then chop it into cubes prior to baking. This recipe is the simplest version of this dish, but you can play around with fun variations like adding beets or tossing in toasted pecans at the very end.

Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- salt to taste

Steps:
1) Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice butternut squash lengthwise in half and scoop out seeds and pulp.

2) Melt butter on low heat and whisk together with maple syrup and cinnamon.

3) Place butternut squash in a baking dish or roasting pan and drizzle butter-maple syrup over top. Salt lightly.

4) Add 1/2 cup water to the dish or pan and cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake until very tender, about 60 - 75 minutes.

5) Scoop out flesh with a large spoon and serve.