Roasted Butternut Squash with sage butter is a cozy American side dish where cubes of butternut squash roast on a sheet pan until tender, sweet, and caramelized at the edges. While the squash cooks, butter melts on the stove and browns with fresh sage leaves, picking up a nutty aroma and earthy flavor. The hot roasted squash gets tossed in this sage brown butter right before serving, so every piece turns glossy, fragrant, and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. It fits perfectly with roast chicken, turkey, pork, or steak and works just as well for a weeknight dinner or a holiday table.
Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage Butter is an American-style side dish where butternut squash cubes roast until caramelized, then get tossed in nutty brown butter infused with fresh sage. The result is a sweet, savory, and aromatic veggie side that pairs with almost any fall or holiday main.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prep the squash
- Place the whole butternut squash on a large cutting board, hold it steady with one hand, then use a chef’s knife to cut off both ends so the squash stands flat.
- Stand the squash upright on the cutting board and carefully slice it in half from top to bottom with the chef’s knife, keeping your other hand on top of the knife handle, not on the squash.
- Use a spoon to scrape the seeds and stringy center from each half and discard or save the seeds for roasting later.
- Lay each squash half flat on the cutting board, peel the skin off with a vegetable peeler, then cut the flesh into 1-inch slices and finally into 1-inch cubes with the chef’s knife.
Season on the pan
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper using your hands to press it flat so it covers the whole tray.
- Transfer the squash cubes to the baking sheet with your hands, spreading them out into a single layer so no cubes sit on top of each other.
- Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over the squash using a measuring spoon, then sprinkle 1 tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp black pepper over the top and toss everything directly on the pan with your hands or a spatula until all the cubes look lightly coated and glossy.
Roast the squash
- Set an oven rack in the middle position with oven mitts if needed, then preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack using oven mitts and roast for 30 minutes, turning the squash once halfway through with a spatula or tongs so more sides brown and the edges become caramelized.
Make the sage butter
- When the squash has about 10 minutes left, place a medium skillet on the stove over medium heat and add 4 tbsp butter to the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon until it melts.
- Add the sage leaves to the melted butter with your fingers or tongs and keep cooking over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring with the wooden spoon, until the butter turns light golden and smells nutty and the sage leaves look darker and slightly crisp.
- Turn off the heat, then sprinkle ¼ tsp kosher salt and ⅛ tsp black pepper into the skillet with a measuring spoon and stir once more with the wooden spoon to season the butter.
Toss and serve
- Take the baking sheet out of the oven with oven mitts and set it on a heat-safe surface, then use a spatula or tongs to transfer the hot roasted squash cubes into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the warm sage butter from the skillet over the squash, using the wooden spoon to scrape out every bit of butter and the sage leaves, then toss gently with the spatula until all the cubes are coated and the sage is spread through the bowl.
- Move the coated squash to a serving dish with the spatula or tongs and serve hot as an American-style side dish.
Notes
- Cut the butternut squash into even 1-inch cubes on the cutting board so they roast at the same speed and all finish tender with caramelized edges at the same time.
- Keep the heat at medium under the skillet and watch the butter closely while you stir with the wooden spoon; once the milk solids in the butter turn golden and smell nutty, turn off the heat so it stays brown instead of burning.
- Leftover roasted squash with sage butter reheats well on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warm, which keeps the edges more crisp than reheating in the microwave.
