This oven roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash recipe is a healthy and flavourful side dish, easy to make and ready in no time. A delicious vegetable recipe perfect to serve during the holiday season, like Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year or as a winter side dish.
What is nicer than preparing vegetables in the right season. So many healthy vegetables make their entry during the fall and winter months. Both butternut squash and Brussels sprouts are great to serve as a side dish during these months. And what makes them even better is that their flavours pair really well together to make a delicious vegetarian side dish.
Unfortunately, many people dislike the taste of Brussel sprouts as they can have a very nasty and bitter taste. I never used to like them, until I discovered that depending on the way you cook them, they can taste really nice. Most people who make a Brussel sprouts recipe will just boil or steam them, but for me, this only serves to enhance the bitter taste. Meanwhile, roasting them brings out a delicious slightly sweet aroma which is very palatable. Combining the Brussels sprouts with roasted butternut squash brings out this lovely roasted and sweet aroma. You’ll love it, you really will.
How to make roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts
Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
It doesn’t get much easier to make this oven roasted Brussel sprouts and butternut squash recipe. In fact, it’s very quick to make in just under 30 minutes. Only the cleaning and chopping of the vegetables take a bit of time. I also decided to make the beautiful flavours of the vegetables themselves the hero’s of the day by not adding too many additional herbs, spices and other ingredients.
Start by preheating the oven to 400°F (or 200°C), then rinse the Brussels sprouts with cold water and remove the yellow leaves. Trim the bottom end and cut in half. Peel the butternut squash and cut in bite-size chunks of about 1 inch or 2.5 cm. Make sure the butternut cubes are similar in size to the Brussel sprout halves to ensure the same roasting time and even cooking. Peel and finely slice the garlic cloves.
Combine everything in a non-stick baking or oven tray. Add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and toss to evenly coat everything. Place a few fresh rosemary sprigs on top of the dish and place in the oven.
Roast for 20 minutes and check with a fork if both the vegetables are tender. If not, leave to roast for another maximum 10 minutes. The exact cooking time will depend on your oven as well as the size of the vegetables. Serve immediately.
Recipe variations
As I already mentioned before, this recipe is simple with minimal extra ingredients which allows the lovely taste of the butternut and Brussels sprouts themselves to really shine. If you’d like to make it more exciting, here are some additional ingredients to add to this side dish recipe.
- Bacon: Even though it is a side dish, a few bacon bits will lift up the dish and add an extra savoury hint.
- Cinnamon: Butternut and cinnamon is a great combination and is used a lot together. Cinnamon compliments the sweet taste of the roasted butternut and gives this dish some extra punch.
- Maple syrup or honey: Another sweet flavour to elevate the taste and aroma of this recipe. Drizzle some maple sirup or honey over the vegetables during the last 10 minutes of the roasting time to avoid burning of the syrup while roasting.
- Pecans: Sprinkle some chopped pecans over this dish before serving. This will provide a delicious nutty taste as well as some extra crunch. Consider roasting them in a dry pan to soften them ever so slightly.
- Herbs: Experiment with various other fresh herbs instead of rosemary. Add some sprigs of fresh thyme instead of the sage leaves.
Can you make this dish ahead of time?
It is best to serve immediately, however, this recipe can also perfectly be made in advance. After roasting, leave to cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Re-heat in the oven by placing the ingredients on an oven tray and leaving them in there for 10-15 minutes on low heat until warm. Do not put the heat too high as they will start roasting and cooking again with the risk of being overcooked. You can also warm them in the microwave oven.
How to serve this side dish recipe
Oven roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts is great to serve as a side dish with any roasted meats, like turkey, pork, chicken and glazed ham. It also goes really well with various hearty meat stews like this wild boar stew.
During the holidays, consider serving these vegetables in combination with some other side dishes like:
- Dill pickle potato salad
- Foil grilled potatoes
- Italian green beans with garlic and onion
- Mediterranean roasted vegetables
- Roasted fennel and carrots
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and butternut squash
Ingredients
- 2 cups (or 300 grams) Brussels Sprouts halved
- 2 cups (or 300 grams) Butternut squash peeled and cubed into 1 inch (or 2.5 cm) pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 3 sprigs rosemary sprigs 2 inch / 5cm length
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (or 200°C).
- Trim the ends of the Brussels sprouts and cut in half. Peel the butternut squash and cut in bite size pieces (about 1 inch or 2.5 cm). Peel the garlic and cut in fine slices.
- Place the Brussels sprouts, butternut cubes and garlic on an oven tray. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste) and toss all ingredients together until well coated. Place a few fresh rosemary sprigs evenly on top.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes until the vegetables are roasted and tender. Check with a fork. Leave 10 minutes longer if they need more roasting. Serve immediately
Notes
- Make sure to cut the Brussels sprouts and butternut in to similar sized pieces to ensure even cooking.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #thetastychilli and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
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I thought I hated Brussels sprouts too, for a really long time! Roasting them really changed my mind, and now I think they’re delicious 🙂 Love this side dish with the butternut squash (another veggie my family used to boil into oblivion when I was a kid, yuck!) Roasting fall and winter vegetables really brings out the flavor.
Okay, definitely giving this a try! Such a yummy combo, Brussels sprouts are my favorite!
Not a big fan of brussel sprouts but I love everything roasted 🙂 I might try and maybe change my mind 🙂
This looks so good!! I had a brussels sprouts slaw and it was similar to this!!
Such a healthy and flavourful side dish idea and it looks so easy to make!! LOve it!!
Two of my favorite fall veggies! I love all of the flavor variations you suggest too.