2013 – Gluten Free Living

Baked Acorn Squash is an awesome side dish for any occasion. This is an old family favorite my Mom used to make all the time when we were growing up. It was always my favorite way to eat acorn squash, too. This simple 3-ingredient recipe couldn’t be any easier. Bake the squash, remove the seeds, add a little butter and brown sugar, bake again to melt the butter. Then, expect to experience the wonderful sensations of squash with a brown sugar glaze that’s amazing.

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Sometimes simple is wonderful and it sure works for acorn squash. I have made squash this way since we first got married. Even one of my sisters still makes up this recipe every year for Thanksgiving! I think she cooks about 6-8 whole acorn squashes which yields 12-16 servings once they are cut in half.

If you’re looking for recipes that aren’t complicated and can be done with a minimum amount of effort than consider Baked Acorn Squash. It is a great holiday favorite, it’s economical, and tastes superb. I normally score the flesh of the squash in a diamond pattern so the butter  and brown sugar kind of seep into the crevices of the squash, but you can omit that step if you don’t like the way it looks.

Baked Acorn Squash with butter and brown sugar is a great way to get your kids eating squash too! 🙂 While this recipe is gluten free, it does have sugar which is going to add some calories. But the overall taste with the brown sugar makes a blander tasting squash perk up and have delicious flavors. Our family has always loved eating acorn squash this way and I bet yours will too!

I initially posted this recipe in November 2013. The pictures were okay but I ended up having to use a lot of iPhone pictures instead of pictures from my Canon. When I saw some small acorn squash on sale at the grocery store last week, I snatched them up. I decided to make up another batch of this recipe (March 2018). I served the Baked Acorn Squash with a Slow Cooker Onion-Mushroom Pot Roast and Oatmeal Nut Bread for our weekly Friday night care group. Several people had never tried squash this way but really enjoyed it. A few others had mothers like mine who also made this when they were growing up.

This is such an easy and delicious recipe and the perfect way to get your kids to eat squash. 🙂

Baked Acorn Squash is so simple, yet it’s an elegant side dish to serve for holiday entertaining, too.

I served Baked Acorn Squash with Slow Cooker Onion-Mushroom Pot Roast and Oatmeal Nut Bread that’s made in the breadmaker.

I like to cut the squash from the shell with my spoon and mix it with the butter and brown sugar mixture. That way all of the squash gets coated with the lovely sweet texture of the sugar. 

How much butter and brown sugar you use is up to you. I was trying to cut calories so I only used about a tablespoon of butter and a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. But you can use more if you desire. I normally use about 2 tbsp. each of butter and brown sugar.

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients.

Place acorn squash in a large baking dish or roaster. Prick the sides with a fork in about 4-6 places.

Bake acorn squash about an hour at 350.

Cut squash in half. Remove the seeds and pulp in the middle.

Place the acorn squash halves back into the large baking dish or roaster pan.

Score the flesh of the acorn squash with a knife in a criss-cross pattern to allow the butter and brown sugar to seep into the crevices of the squash. You can omit this step if you don’t want to do it, but it really helps the brown sugar mixture to soak into the squash.

Add dabs of butter in each acorn squash half.

Add brown sugar.

Return to oven and bake about 5 minutes longer until the butter melts completely.

This squash recipe will make a squash lover out of everyone who tries it. Every bite is amazing!

To serve: place acorn squash halves in bowls and serve with a spoon.

Here’s the recipe.

BAKED ACORN SQUASH

(Recipe from my mom, Helen Mattis, Titusville,FL)

Baked Acorn Squash is so easy to make but incredibly delicious to the tastebuds!

Baked Acorn Squash has always been a family favorite recipe. It’s fantastic served with Slow Cooker Onion-Mushroom Pot Roast and a loaf of homemade Oatmeal Nut Bread. 🙂

I believe I’ll have a bite, thank you very much!

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Honey Walnut Acorn Squash

Butternut Squash and Pear Gratin

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Peach Bake