Description
The glaze creates a smoky caramelized topping, and the cranberries and pistachios add tartness and crunch. My 10-year-old walked in as I pulled this from the oven for the first time and announced, ‘that’s beautiful!’ It’s just as amazing in flavor, and it makes a gorgeous, elegant side.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil, or as needed
- 1 large butternut squash – peeled, halved lengthwise, and seeded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried orange peel
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano, or as needed
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup chopped pistachio nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Rub oil over squash and season with salt. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and add water.
- Bake in the preheated oven until softened
- about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile
- combine butter
- honey
- cinnamon
- garlic
- oregano leaves
- orange peel
- and paprika in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat sauce until combined
- 1 to 3 minutes.
- Remove squash from oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Allow squash to cool for 5 minutes.
- Slice squash partway through vertically
- leaving the bottom portion attached. Drizzle with 1/2 the sauce. Return to the hot oven and bake 10 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven and press gently on the squash to separate slices. Drizzle 1/2 of the remaining sauce on top and return to the hot oven. Bake 10 more minutes.
- Remove from oven and tuck oregano sprigs between slices or lay on top. Sprinkle with cranberries and pistachios and drizzle with remaining glaze.
- Bake in the hot oven 10 minutes more.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 4