These Butternut Squash Appetizer Skewers are an easy, fun and festive appetizer for any dinner party! The sweetness from the maple syrup and brown sugar, combined with the saltiness from the bacon makes these skewers so tasty and ideal for Thanksgiving!
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When fall comes around, butternut squash is everywhere!
I especially love it because the shelf life of squash is incredible! I mean, throw it on your doorstep with your pumpkins for a few weeks then throw it in the oven when your ready!
If you love skewered appetizers, check out these Skewered Party Appetizers On Mini Toothpicks.
My go-to dishes when cooking squash are usually soup or roasted butternut squash cubes served alongside some yummy chicken.
However I have NEVER served it as an appetizer before...until now!
It could not be more perfect to throw on your Thanksgiving appetizer menu!
Preparing Your Squash
Preparing butternut squash is much harder than cooking it because of its awkwardly large size and shape.
The best way to prepare butternut squash for cooking is to first use a vegetable peeler!
It takes me no more than 1 minute to peel the entire thing. As long as your veggie peeler is nice and sharp, it shouldn't take you much longer than that!
Then, you want to start peeling at the MIDDLE of the squash going DOWN turning the squash as you peel.
Once you've done the bottom half, flip it around and peel the other half, again going from the MIDDLE down. Then slice off the ends and voila! A naked squash ready for anything!
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Slicing Your Squash
The hardest part is actually SLICING your squash. If you are not using a sharp large knife it will be tough!
What you'll want to do next is cut the squash in half lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds using a spoon.
Now you should have a flat surface to cut the rest of the squash on!
Because of the hole in the middle, you will not get perfectly sized cubes but that's okay! Just make sure your slices are as uniform as possible!
Then you can use the cubes however you desire!
Roasting Your Squash
How long it takes to roast squash really depends how large your squash cubes are AND the temperature of your oven.
With that said, if you cut your cubes into 1-2" cubes and set your oven to 400ºF, they should not take longer than 30 minutes TOPS! The high heat is necessary so your squash is nicely browned!
Here are some other fall recipes you will love:
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๐ Recipe
Butternut Squash Appetizer Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Butternut Squash
- 12 oz. Thick cut bacon
- 1 Cup Maple Syrup
- 3 Tsp. Brown Sugar
- ยพ Tsp. Cinnamon
- Salt to taste
- Chopped Thyme or Sage ((for garnish))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Peel and chop your butternut squash into 1-1 ยฝ" cubes.
- Lay flat on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes or until fork tender. (Tip* If you want your squash to get golden brown, do not allow your squash to touch each other. Use two pans if you need.)
- While roasting, fry up your bacon until crispy (not burnt). When cooled, chop into bits and add to a bowl with the maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon. Season with salt as needed.
- When squash is ready and slightly cooled, skewer your cubes. (I chose to skewer two at a time which gave me about 30 skewers).
- Finally drizzle your maple bacon glaze over top each skewer and serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- Depending upon the size of your butternut squash, you may get more or less skewers.
- You can leave out the brown sugar if you wish!
- Add any fresh herbs you please!
- Butternut squash needs salt so don't be afraid to season generously before roasting!
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