This roasted bacon and butternut squash side dish is the perfect easy, no-fail fall side.
A couple years ago, I shared this bacon and butternut squash mac and cheese. One of the steps calls for roasting the butternut squash in bacon grease and during testing I kept running into a problem with the recipe…
Every time I made it, the squash would come out of the oven roasted and beautiful, and I would want to eat it all instead of pureeing it for cheese sauce.
I may have had to make a couple of the test batches more than once because the squash just disappeared.
So this year I’m skipping the mac and cheese and just making bacon and butternut squash the star of the show because it totally deserves it.
This is one of my favorite fall side dishes. It’s so simple, so good, and so easy.
The butternut squash is rich and a little sweet and the bacon gives the whole thing an irresistible salty, smoky flavor.
You might be tempted to skip the main dish and just eat this for dinner, and I can guarantee that you’ll be sneaking pieces of it off the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Ingredient Notes
- Butternut squash: If you’ve never cut up a butternut squash before, don’t worry, it’s super easy. Go check out my post How to Cut Butternut Squash for a full tutorial.
- Bacon: Use your favorite bacon here. Regular, thick-cut, and even bacon ends will all be delicious.
How to Make Bacon Butternut Squash
1. Cook bacon: Cook bacon on a baking sheet in your oven until it reaches your preferred level of crispiness and then transfer it to a plate.
2. Toss butternut squash in bacon grease: Add your cubed squash to the pan and toss it with the grease until it is well coated with the drippings. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Roast squash: Roast the squash until it is fork-tender and then crumble the bacon and add it back to the pan. Bake everything for another minute or so to give the bacon a chance to heat up, and then serve and enjoy!!
FAQ
Can I make this ahead of time?
Roasted veggies are always best right after roasting, but you can make this up to 48 hours in advance. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave.
More Easy Sides
- Butter and Garlic Green Beans
- Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Zucchini
- Corn on the Cob in the Microwave
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Microwave Sweet Potato
Roasted Bacon and Butternut Squash Side Dish
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 butternut squash peeled and cubed 1-inch
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup).
- Bake bacon slices for 10 to 14 minutes, until they reach your preferred level of crispiness.
- Transfer bacon to a plate and add cubed squash to the baking sheet. Stir the cubes so they get coated in the bacon drippings and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until squash is fork tender. Chop or crumble bacon and add it back to the hot pan. Bake for 1 additional minute to reheat and serve.
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Ange says
Gorgeous even my dad enjoyed and he’s one hard cookie to crumble! Success c
Tracy says
Thanks, Ange!