The Perfect Autumn Side Dish

Here is the perfect autumn side dish recipe.  If you want a healthy side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve, try these roasted Brussel sprouts, cinnamon butternut squash, toasted pecans, and chewy cranberries! It goes great with roasted chicken, turkey, pork loin, with just about anything! Plus, if you are one who doesn’t care for Brussel sprouts then you might like this one! It has a touch of sweetness that takes the bitter edge off. It offers lots of texture so your taste buds will be distracted.

By the way, I am not a food photographer, but this is my actual dish and my actual picture. This is real life!

Ingredients

Brussel Sprouts:

• 3 cups fresh Brussel sprouts, ends trimmed, cut in half or quarters if large
• 2 tablespoons healthy oil like olive, avocado, coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt, to taste

Butternut Squash:

• 1 1/2 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1-inch cubes, this equates to approximately 4 cups of uncooked, cubed butternut squash. You can buy pre-cubed to save time. May need to cut down size of cubes, or cook longer if they are larger cubes.
• 2 tablespoons healthy oil like olive, avocado, coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Other Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups pecan halves
• ½  cup dried cranberries
• 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Use two separate baking sheets that both fit in oven together. Bake at the same time.

Brussels sprouts:

1. Grease baking sheet well. Combine halved Brussel sprouts, 2 tablespoons of oil, salt and toss to combine. Place onto a greased baking sheet, cut side down, and roast in the oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes. During the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, turn them over, the cut sides should be nicely browned.

Butternut squash:

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper (greasing not necessary). Parchment paper prevents sticking and is for easy clean up. If you don’t have any on hand, be sure to grease pan really well.
2. Combine cubed butternut squash, 1 tablespoon of oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon, and toss to mix.
3. Place butternut squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turning once half-way through baking, until softened.

Pecans:

After squash and Brussel sprouts come out of the oven, place pecans on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400F for just 3-5 minutes to lightly toast. Sometimes I broil mine for 1-2 minutes but you have to watch carefully, and toss them once so they don’t burn. Allow them to cool a few minutes prior to tossing together.

Assembly:

1. In a large bowl, combine roasted Brussel sprouts, roasted butternut squash, pecans, and cranberries, and mix to combine. For more sweetness, it is optional to add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Toss like a salad to combine. Enjoy.