That’s a mouth full. I hate shortening my titles for my recipes, but I did. I didn’t talk about the cinnamon or salt in the recipe. Anywho, Thanksgiving is on the way, so this week will be filled with recipes to help you eat paleo through the holidays. Yayyyy!
If you’ve done paleo before during a holiday or party and are a legit foodie, you know that it can be ultra annoying to be at parties and not be able to eat everything that’s there. And when I say “not be able to eat everything that’s there” I mean you’re having an internal battle on whether or not you should eat that piece of pumpkin, blueberry AND apple pie, along with the 6 different dips that are paired with chips and crackers. You know what I’m saying if you’re a foodie for life. You’re acting like you’re listening to the conversations around you, but you’re actually just thinking about the dessert table and if you should just have a taste. Just a fork full. Even though you know that the fork full will turn into a whirlwind of pounding food without even know what you’re consuming, you just know if has frosting on it. And that’s really all you care about because you haven’t had frosting in months, maybe even years. If you act like you’ve never been there, you don’t love food near as much as me. Because that was me at a party the other night. And I gave in. Frosted pumpkin squares?? Eff me.
I didn’t have my best eating choices over the weekend. I think some people think that since I create paleo recipes that I will never ever ever fall off the wagon. Which isn’t totally true. I have my moments. Life is all about living, but it’s also making the best decicions you can in certain situations. Sometimes you don’t get to choose where you get to eat while traveling. You’re at other people’s disposal when it comes to food choices. So I did my best. Then not my best. Then my best once again at the airport. Eating at airports is my least favorite. Except when I got to eat at Root Down at DIA and had a burger with sweet potato fries and a bloody mary. Made me feel like I wasn’t even in an airport, which I love. Either way, I don’t feel my best but I’m back home and back on the track that I want to be on.
I just watched a woman stuff an incredibly greasy burger king bag into her purse. It creeped me out. Which is odd since I’m pretty much a huge grease ball after what I shoved in my face over the weekend. Call me butterball. Do it.
Thanksgiving Side Dish: Maple Bacon Pecan Roasted Butternut Squash
- Yield: 4-5 1x
Ingredients
- 6–8 pieces of bacon
- 5 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (640 grams)
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped (100 grams)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (70 grams)
- 2–3 tablespoons bacon fat (rendered from cooking bacon)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Place strips of bacon on a foil lined baking sheet
- Cook bacon for 20 minutes. Bacon should still be slightly soft (not crispy) when you pull it out of the oven. Remove from baking sheet to cool on a paper towel lined plate. Chop bacon into small pieces once cooled. Place the rendered bacon fat in a large bowl.
- Add the cubed butternut squash, pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt to the large bowl with the bacon fat.
- Mix together to coat the squash well. Add pieces of bacon to the mixture and mix well.
- Add mixture to a 9×11 glass baking dish.
- Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- Place dish in the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes (depending on size of cubed butternut squash) or until squash is soft.
- Serve immediately.
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More Sweet Sides:
Last Minute Thanksgiving Smashed Maple Sweet Potatoes
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Hey juli! Do you think this delicious side would be bad if we didnt serve immediately? I want to make it in the morning tomorrow but then it will obviously sit for a few hours before dinner. Any tips?
I think it would still be good if you just heated it up in the oven again
What about using sweet potatoes instead, will it still work? I don’t have any butternut squash…
yep!
This side dish was the hit of our Thanksgiving dinner! I had to work (life of a nurse), so I missed the meal, but when I got home I was told that it will now be required every year- even the picky nieces and nephews liked it!! I heated some up and loved it myself, think I’ll be making it again.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it rocked!! I doubled the recipe so there would be plenty of leftovers. Thank you!!
Made this for our Thanksgiving Dinner…delicious!! Will be making this again!!
Juli!!! Just wanted to let you know I made this last night & it was mind-BLASTING. It did not just blow my mind. It BLASTED my mind.
Very good recipe & very doable for breakfast too, thanks so much!
THIS IS AMAZING!!! You rock! (as always)
This was soooooooo good! I am the only Paleo in my house and eeveryone loved this!
This is crazy good! Made it for Thanksgiving and ate way too much of it! I don’t eat pork so I subbed turkey bacon, and used 1 1/2 T coconut oil in place of the bacon fat. It was still amazing! Husband suggested it would also be good as a dessert. Oh, and THANK YOU for including ingredient weights! I’m never sure what a large onion is, or what constitutes “a tomato.” 🙂 My butternut squash was within 50 grams of yours, so at least I knew I was close.
Juli, This was AMAZING! I served this yesterday and after one bite, it was requested as a regular dish for all future Thanksgivings. Ate the leftovers for breakfast this morning and it was perfect. THANK YOU!