Maple roasted butternut squash and beets are easy to prepare and a delightful healthy side dish! Whip them up for friends and family for dinner gatherings. Loaded with Vitamins and antioxidants, this simple yet delicious vegetable side dish tastes heavenly!
These vegetables are made out of dessert.
And roasted butternut squash. And roasted beets. But mostly, they’re made out of dessert.
What I mean to say is, these roasted butternut squash and beets are so sweet and delicious that they taste like candy.
Autumn is here! Welcome to it!
Fall is officially here and I’m embracing all the fall-like things.
Long-sleeved shirts (see picture below. Just kidding…that’s a bad example), Chai tea lattes, slow-cooked comfort food, and anything that can be roasted and/or drizzled in maple syrup.
I want it all to slam dunk me in the face. At the same time. In abundance.
Are you ready for fall to set up camp in your mouth?
I know what you’re thinking.
Is Julia wearing pants?
The answer is at the bottom of this blog post written upside-down, backwards, and in Icelandic.
But first: vegetables.
I have determined that there’s such a thing as dessert vegetables, and these are they.
There’s only one tablespoon of pure maple syrup in the recipe, but the natural sugars in the butternut squash and beets seep out during the roasting process and coat the veggies in caramelized sweet emotion.
The cinnamon also adds to the warmth of the veggies, which is what makes you feel as though autumn has kick started your locomotion.
Don’t skimp on the salt or oil, meow! They lend flavor to roasted butternut squash and beets.
Time for some root-speak!
Beets, you’uns. I can’t say enough about them. They cleanse, they heal, they energize, they replenish. I’ve given you nutritional facts and figures in the past, so instead of going there again, let’s talk big picture:
Health Benefits of Beets:
Cleansing: Beets are cleansing because they are full of betalains, which are antioxidants. I like to look at antioxidants as the cleaning crew that sweeps through a house after a massive party and removes trash, rearranges furniture, fixes broken items, and puts everything back in working order. Beets are also full of fiber and speed up your metabolism, which helps your body process all the food that’s already there, leaving you with a clean(er) slate.
Healing: The cleansing and healing properties of beets go hand-in hand. It’s one thing to clean up a system, and another thing to fix damage. The antioxidants in beets detoxify your system, helping to remove damaged cells caused by every day pollutants (including crappy food), and help prevent your healthy cells from oxidizing. In the same regard, they prevent your cells from oxidization (damage), boosting your immune system, and keeping your cells working efficiently.
Energizing: Beets are full of natural sugar. Because the sugar is coupled with fiber, your body recognizes it as an incredible source of fuel. The fiber helps the body process the sugars efficiently and slowly, which provides sustained energy to your system as opposed to a sugar spike and crash. If I were a sports nutritionist, I would recommend athletes include beets (and sweet potatoes) in their diet as one of their sources for healthy carbohydrates.
Related to energy: Beets are an aphrodisiac. They are full of boron, which helps produce human sex hormones, and also contain nitrates, which increase your blood flow and circulation. Need proof? Eat a pile of roasted beets at dinner and see what happens at 3am. Just saying.
Nature’s Viagra, go get it!
Replenishing: Beets are ridiculously full of Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes. They contain [in order of abundance] folate, manganese, potassium, copper, magnesium, vitamin C, iron, vitamin B6. This nutrient profile elevates your vitamins and replenishes your nutrient tank. They are also a natural anti-inflammatory, which helps calm your cells and brings them back to a state of balance (homeostasis). This anti-inflammatory characteristic is why beets are touted as a natural cancer fighter.
Bonus features: beets elevate your brain function because the nitrates help increase blood flow (see Viagra comment above), and bring more oxygen to your brain. Boom! Beets make you smart. They also help lower your blood pressure and increase your stamina for high-intensity exercise. Boom! Beets make you strong.
If you aren’t quite ready to be sucker-punched by fall, save this Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Beets recipe for your Thanksgiving gathering. It’s a fabulous side dish and you can easily double the vegetables to feed a huge crowd. Or if you’re like me, make this recipe a weekly occurrence.
I use leftover roasted veggies on green salads for lunch. These leftovers would be perfect for my Fall Roasted Vegetables Salad.
You’re such a good listener. It’s time for dessert.
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Beets
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 large red beet peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup* to taste
For Serving:
- Zest of 1 orange optional
- Dried oregano
- Toasted walnuts
- Pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Peel and chop the butternut squash and the beet into ½” cubes.
- Place them in a mixing bowl and add oil, salt, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Toss well using your hands and make sure the veggies are all evenly coated.
- Lay the vegetables out on a large (or two smaller) baking sheet in a single layer.
- Roast vegetables for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring once half-way through roasting.
- Place oven on the broil setting for 3 to 5 minutes in order to crisp up the veggies.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with dried oregano, orange zest, and additional salt if desired.
- Serve with toasted walnuts and pistachios.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe and am wondering about using a bag of frozen chunks of butternut squash. Do you know how I’d adjust the roasting time?
Hi Chantal! I love that idea to save time! If it were me, I would allow the butternut squash to thaw first, in case it leaches out some moisture. If you want to try it without thawing, I’m betting you won’t need to adjust the bake time by much…maybe 3-5 minutes longer or so. Happy cooking!
I had one butternut squash one ginormous (sp?) beet. I clicked on your recipe cuz all the others had other veggies in the mix. I made these tonight and they are YUMMERS! So glad I found you!!!! I like discovering other smart, conscious women who are not afraid to use profanity. ROCK ON, SISTAH!
LOL you’re too funny, Gina! This comment made my day! I’m so happy you enjoyed the post! xoxox
I just wanted to let you know that this is one of my favorite ways to eat fall squash and root vegetables. In addition to the beets and butternut squash, I add other things I have on hand, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips. They all taste great mixed together with this recipe.
I’m so happy to hear it, Addi! Thanks so much for the feedback! I love the idea of adding other roots to the mix..sounds so tasty!
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Does this chill well? Ie, would this recipe work as a cold salad?
If you plan to chill them, get them extra crispy. Tastes good cold but it is better warm
Hi there! This looks amazing. Found you through Pinterest. Could I substitute sweet potato instead of the butternut squash?
You can replace it with sweet potatoes or add in sweet potatoes to the squash. Yum!
Yeah, my favorite vegetable are beets.
Can’t wait to try this.
Just made this. SO GOOD!!! Added dried cranberries and topped it with blueberry balsamic vinaigrette and it took it to a whole other level. Thank you!
MMMM MMMM MMMM! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jack! Dried cranberries and blueberry balsamic sounds like the perfect additions!!! xoxo
This was amazing! First time I’ve actually liked beets. 🙂 I usually roast butternut squash with brown sugar, but the maple syrup was so much better. I added a dash of cayenne, but I’m sure it would have been just as good without it as the original recipe described. Thanks for posting this recipe!
You got it, Gen! I’m so happy the recipe was a win! I find beets just need a little lovin and then they become tasty. I’m thinking your cayenne idea sounds stellar – a little heat to balance the sweet = brilliant! xo
Julia, I would like to add the beet tops and rainbow kale to this mix to round out a vegetarian meal. Do you have any suggestion? Possibly add a topping with crumbled goat cheese of or Cotija?
Great thinking, George! I bet goat cheese and kale would be great additions. Maybe even add some brown rice and/or chopped nuts? Let me know how the whole thing turns out 🙂
OMG Yum! We’re doing thanksgiving tomorrow and I have been learning to like beets but haven’t tried roasting them yet. I’m doing this!
Let me know how you like them! Roasting beets is my favorite method of prepping them – it adds so much flavor and a nice crisp! xoxo
I loved them! I didn’t have any maple syrup or pistachios so I went savory with it and did just olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic and also threw in a few carrots and a sweet potato. Yum! Our store here in Finland has a BIG bag of beets for 99 cents right now, so guess where I’m going tomorrow 🙂