An Easy Holiday Side Dish

Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash with Bacon & Walnuts

This recipe puts a gourmet spin on roasted butternut squash with a hint of sweet balsamic vinegar, pieces of smoky bacon, and crunchy walnuts.  It’s a great side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it’s easy enough to serve any night of the week. 

You can also substitute kabocha squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, sweet potato or yam for the butternut.

Omit the bacon and add an extra ½ tablespoon of oil to make the recipe vegetarian.  

Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash with Bacon & Walnuts

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, seeds removed, skin removed and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (should yield about 4 cups of cubes)

4 oz bacon, cut into matchsticks

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or French walnut oil from The Olive Scene

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (try The Olive Scene’s Traditional 18 Year, Pumpkin Spice, or Fig Balsamic Vinegar)

½ cup chopped toasted walnuts

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the squash and bacon on a rimmed baking sheet with the oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Roast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes and every 5 minutes after that, until squash cubes are tender and cooked through.

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning, adding more balsamic to taste.  Top with shopped walnuts and serve warm.