I can't tell you how excited I am about this dish; and it's a vegetable! Use coconut oil and it's vegan! This is actually the first time I've used kabocha squash, and I'm so glad I could find it in my local grocery store. Acorn squash or even cubed butternut squash would be great substitutes.
First, I roasted the squash in an amazing glaze. Butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and smoked paprika = DELICIOUS. The balance of sweetness, acidity and smokey flavor make for an unforgettable side dish.
To finish it off, I topped the kabocha with toasted, buttery pine nuts and crispy fried sage. If you're looking for a nontraditional side for your Thanksgiving dinner or even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I really hope you give this a try!
Kabocha Squash with Maple Butter Glaze, Pine Nuts & Fried Sage
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
To make my kabocha squash with maple butter glaze, first I roasted the squash in butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and smoked paprika. To finish it off, I topped the kabocha with toasted, buttery pine nuts and crispy fried sage.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb piece of Kabocha Squash (about ½ medium squash), seeds and stem removed
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (coconut or vegetable oil, if vegan)
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp sweet, smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 10 medium-sized sage leaves
- Olive oil, for frying
- 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
Instructions
- Heat oven & cut squash: Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash (skin intact) into 1-inch thick slices.
- Mix sauce & bake:Â Whisk together melted butter, maple, sugar and paprika. Place squash on baking sheet and drizzle over butter mixture. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Bake in center rack of oven for about 20 minutes, flipping half way through, or until browned and softened.
- Fry sage: For sage, heat ½ inch of oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add sage leaves and fry about 2-3, flipping half way through, or until lightly browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve: Top squash with sage leaves and pine nuts. Enjoy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Side
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American, New American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ of squash
- Calories: 194
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 31mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 2g
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Oh wow! What a stunning side dish.
Sabrina says
Thank you, Nicole 🙂
Manali @ CookWithManali says
the maple butter glaze sounds amazing! so yum!
Sabrina says
Thanks, Manali!
somethewiser says
oh yum! Pinned it to my Thanksgiving board because this for sure needs to be on my menu!
Sabrina says
Thanks so much!
Anonymous says
Looks amazing, must try this!
Sabrina says
Thank you!