Delicious Roasted Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese and Pecans: A Flavorful Holiday Side Dish
by Tracy Shaw
Savor the perfect blend of flavors in our deliciously unique Roasted Butternut Squash recipe. Indulge in the rich and sweet notes of butternut squash, complemented by the crunch of pecans and the savory elegance of blue cheese. Elevate your culinary experience with this delectable side dish! This partnership with Marie’s has donated 8,100 meals to those in need. While the post is sponsored by Marie’s, our love for giving back to the community and this recipe is our own!
If you are looking for a delicious and elegant fall side dish you can’t go wrong with this roasted butternut squash with pecans and blue cheese. This side dish looks and tastes amazing and it’s easy to make too. It’s perfect for a weeknight side dish, but it wouldn’t be out of place on your holiday tables either.
Butternut squash is abundant this time of year and it is so delicious and good for you too. Butternut squash is high in fiber and low in calories, it is also packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These vitamins and minerals can give your immune system a boost, lower blood pressure, and help to regulate blood sugar.
Adding more of this tasty fruit, that’s right, butternut squash is a fruit , not a vegetable, to your diet is a no brainer! Don’t believe it’s a fruit? It is! Butternut squash is considered a fruit because it develops from the ovary of a flower and contains seeds. While culinary classification often categorizes it as a vegetable due to its savory flavor and common use in savory dishes, but it is indeed a fruit.
To make this delicious dish you will need butternut squash, pecans, blue cheese dressing, olive oil spray, and fresh thyme. You can add blue cheese crumbles if desired. Cutting the squash is the most difficult part of this recipe. If you aren’t comfortable cutting the squash you can buy butternut squash pieces in the produce section of your supermarket.
How to make Roasted Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese and Pecans
Roast your prepared butternut squash with the fresh thyme in a 425 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until it is fork tender. Place the cooked squash in a serving bowl and drizzle on your favorite blue cheese dressing, sprinkle on pecans and thyme, and add additional blue cheese crumbles if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese dressing is the ingredient that really brings all of the flavors together in this recipe and makes it “pop”. Many people think that blue cheese dressing is only for dipping your hot wings into, and while that is a tasty option, there are others too!
No pecans on hand? Try walnuts or roasted pumpkin seeds instead. Using roasted pumpkin seeds would make this a nut-free recipe.
How do you store roasted butternut squash leftovers?
If you have leftovers of this tasty dish it needs to be cooled down and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. I have taken some of leftovers and added it on top of a spinach salad….so good!
While you can freeze roasted butternut squash you should know that it will change the texture of the squash but the flavor is still there. If you have previously cooked frozen butternut squash it would be best to use it in soups or casseroles.
How do you reheat roasted butternut squash with blue cheese and pecans?
You can eat this dish cold, and it will taste amazing, but if you want to heat it up you can. Reheat your squash on a parchment lined baking sheet at 300 degrees for ten minutes or until warmed through. You can also toss it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
Can you make this dish ahead of time?
If you are serving this delicious side dish for the holidays you may be looking for some shortcuts so that everything doesn’t have to be the day of.
Here are a couple of different ways that you can prepare this dish in advance:
The first is to simply cut the squash into pieces up to three days ahead of time. Store your cubes in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
You can also roast the squash a day in advance and then cool it down and refrigerate it in an airtight container. The day you plan to serve it you can reheat the squash in the oven or air fryer and add the blue cheese dressing and pecan toppings.
How do you know when butternut squash is done?
When the butternut squash is done it will pierce easily with a fork and be soft. Raw butternut squash pieces are very firm to the touch, and can’t be pierced with a fork.
Do you have to peel butternut squash before roasting it?
I didn’t in this recipe! You can though…and I definitely have before. Leaving the skin on did not make it tough or change the flavor profile, it did make the prep work even easier 😉
Ways to use blue cheese dressing
This recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing, so that means you are going to have some leftover! So I wanted a few more ways to use blue cheese dressing this holiday season and beyond.
- Drizzle some over your favorite bruschetta recipe and serve it as an appetizer.
- Toss shaved Brussels sprouts with a few spoonfuls for a surprising but tasty side dish.
- Add it to your favorite salads.
- You can use blue cheese dressing for dipping vegetables, pretzels, or pita chips.
There are lots of delicious ways to use blue cheese dressing in your kitchen.
Whether you serve this butternut squash with blue cheese and pecans for a Meatless Monday dinner, or it finds a way to your holiday table, your friends and family are sure to love it. It is a beautiful and delicious way to use produce that is in season right now.
Roasted Butternut Squash Delight: Pecans and Blue Cheese Perfection
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 lbs butternut squash
- Olive oil spray
- 10 stalks fresh thyme
- ½ cup pecans
- 4 tablespoons Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Cut the squash, leaving the skin on, and scoop out the seeds, then cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Spray baking sheet with olive oil spray, add the butternut squash, spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper. *You may need 2 baking sheets.
- Add thyme sprigs.
- Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until tender.
- Once done, add the butternut squash to a serving bowl, drizzle on the blue cheese dressing, sprinkle on pecans, thyme and blue cheese crumbles.
