I hope your weekend was as relaxing and rejuvenating as mine was. My house is a disaster and we’re in recovery mode after our wedding weekend, but oh my goodness did we HAVE FUN! I can’t wait to show you all of our amazing photos from our photographer and all the other details.
Before I let you get on with your holiday festivities, I have one last recipe for your Thanksgiving table that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
As Taylor would say… Are you readddyyyy for it?
Gorgeous sweet and spicy brussels and butternut squash are roasted with cayenne pepper, maple syrup and olive oil to golden crispy perfection.
Then in goes crispy bacon (turkey or pork work), dried cranberries (or cherries!) and your absolute favorite crumbled cheese (i vote goat or gorgonzola).
Voila! It’s a fancy side dish that everyone is going to gobble up.
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Ingredients in this maple roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts
Trust me when I say you’re going to LOVE the flavors in this gorgeous dish. Tender vegetables, crispy bacon, and delicious mix-ins make it absolutely epic. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Veggies: we’re roasting up sweet butternut squash and brussels sprouts to create a lovely base for this side dish.
- Olive oil: you’ll need a little olive oil to do all that roasting.
- Maple syrup: add a little sweetness with pure maple syrup.
- Spices: here’s where all that flavaaa comes in! We’re tossing the veggies with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cloves (or allspice), salt and pepper. Sweet and savory goodness.
- Bacon: add extra savory flavor with some crispy bacon.
- Mix-ins: every bite is SO decadent thanks to the dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and cheese crumbles. See below for your cheese options!
Make this veggie side dish your own
There are endless ways to get creative with this maple roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts. Here are some great options:
- Pick your veggies. Feel free to swap the butternut squash with pumpkin or sweet potato!
- Adjust your spice level. I love the kick of heat that cayenne pepper adds to this dish, but feel free to omit if you don’t like spicy food.
- Choose your mix-ins. You can also use dried cherries, toasted almonds, and gorgonzola, bleu cheese, or goat cheese crumbles!
- Go vegetarian (or vegan). Simply omit the bacon to keep this dish vegetarian, and omit the cheese to make it vegan.
Tips for prepping the butternut squash
You can absolutely buy pre-cut butternut squash cubes from the store, OR follow this guide for peeling and cubing butternut squash!
Don’t forget to toast your pecans
There are two easy ways to do it:
- Stove top method: place pecans in a small pan over medium heat. Stir pecans until toasted and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. They are done as soon as they start looking darker and smell toasty. Immediately remove the pecans from the pan to a bowl or paper towel to prevent burning.
- Oven method: you can also toast the pecans in the oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 6-7 minutes.
See how to make the maple roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts
Maple roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts in 4 easy steps
- Prep your pans. Start by lining a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones) with parchment paper. Spread out the butternut squash cubes and brussels sprouts halves on the pans, making sure they’re not touching so they roast and do not steam.
- Roast the veggies. Whisk together the oil, maple syrup, and spices, then pour it all over the veggies and toss well with clean hands. Roast those vegetables up until they’re golden and caramelized.
- Cook the bacon. While the veggies are roasting, cook your bacon, pat away the grease with a paper towel, and chop it.
- Assemble the dish. Add your roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts to a large serving platter or bowl, and fold in the chopped bacon, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans. Garnish with your choice of crumbled cheese and serve!
Want to cook the bacon in the oven?
It’s easy! Follow all of my tips and tricks here for cooking bacon in the oven, then chop it and add it to the dish.
Make-ahead tips
Save time by prepping these ingredients ahead of time! I recommend cubing the squash, slicing the brussels sprouts, and storing them in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to finish the recipe. Alternatively, you can roast the veggies as directed, let them cool, and store them in the fridge the night before. Then simply reheat the veggies in the oven, cook the bacon, and toss everything together.
More Thanksgiving side dishes you’ll love
- Roasted Rainbow Veggies with Chipotle Honey Yogurt Dressing
- Kung Pao Chickpea & Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry
- Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Pomegranate, Toasted Almonds + Goat Cheese
- Butternut Squash Quinoa Patties with Cranberry Orange Sauce
- One Pot Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Get all of my Thanksgiving recipes here!
I hope you love this spicy maple roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Spicy Maple Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, stems and outer leaves removed and halved
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- 4-5 oz uncooked bacon
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup toasted pecans halves, chopped
- ⅓ cup your choice of gorgonzola crumbles, blue cheese crumbles or goat cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet or two small baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread out brussels sprouts and butternut squash being careful not to overcrowd so that the veggies roast and do not steam. If the pan is overcrowded I suggest using two pans and rotating the pans halfway through baking.
- In small bowl mix together the olive oil, maple syrup, garlic powder, cayenne, cinnamon and cloves until well combined. Pour over the brussels and butternut squash. Season generously with salt and pepper. Use clean hands to toss together then spread out evenly on the baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes then flip and roast for an additional 15 minutes until brussels turn a slight golden brown and squash is fork tender.
- While the veggies are roasting, cook your bacon according to the directions on the package. Remember you only need about 4-5 ounces (or about 4-6 slices).
- Once done cooking bacon and it’s crispy, transfer to a paper towel and pat away the grease as much as possible, then chop the bacon and set aside.
- Once the butternut squash and brussels are done roasting, transfer them to a large serving bowl and gently fold in chopped bacon, dried cranberries and toasted pecans. Garnish with your choice of crumbled cheese.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 20th, 2017, and republished on November 9th, 2023.
62 comments
This literally has my mouth watering! Such a yummy idea!
So delicious! I hope you get a chance to try it 🙂
What perfect timing! I was looking for brussels sprouts recipe for Thanksgiving!
YEP making this. can’t wait to see wedding photos–congrats Monique!
Hope you love it! Thanks so much Em!
*Wipes drool from chin.* Side dish? Girl, this is all I want to eat until January, looks incredible!
SO good! I’ve made it a couple times and had it for lunch + dinner all week long!
These look awesome!!!
Will the butternut squash and Brussels sprouts cook in the same amount of time?
Thank you!! And yes, they should!
This looks amazing, i plan to make it this weekend! I am going to cook the bacon in the oven to save time as it cooks well at the same temperature 🙂 Did you go on a honeymoon right away? I can’t wait to see pics of you on your special day!
I hope you enjoyed this over the weekend! And we’re heading out on our honeymoon in December 🙂 Can’t wait to share photos!
This looks like such an amazing combination of flavours – definitely going to try! And would work vegetarian with coconut bacon, I’m thinking. Thanks for sharing!
It really is! And coconut bacon would be perfect in here. Hope you enjoy!
Two of my favorites in one dish! I love this.
So much goodness in here! Glad you love this one, Mary!
Hey there! I’m planning on making these tomorrow for Easter, but wondering if you think the addition of carrots would be nice?
Hey Elaina! Sorry for the delay – I think carrots would be great in here! Hope you loved it 🙂
This looks wonderfuI I would like to make it for Thanksgiving. Do you think it could be made a day or two ahead?
Perfect for Thanksgiving! Feel free to make it the day before – I would just suggest adding your garnishes (the cranberries, pecans and gorgonzola) on the day-of.
Hello hello! This was incredibly spicy. Like mouth on fire! So I would decrease the cayenne and it will be amazing!
I thought so, too! Way too much cayenne. It detracted from the other flavors, which by themselves would have been delicious.
Hi Danielle! Everyone’s spice preference is different (I happen to love it with a kick), but I’ve reduced the cayenne to 1/2 a teaspoon in the recipe for future times you make it 🙂 Thanks for the heads-up!
Waaaay too spicy. The cayenne detracted from the other flavors, which would have been delicious on their own. I’ll try this again with about a quarter of the cayenne. I’m bummed it didn’t work out for our dinner tonight.
Hi LesLee! Everyone’s spice preference is different (I happen to love it with a kick), but I’ve reduced the cayenne to 1/2 a teaspoon in the recipe for future times you make it. Feel free to use just a sprinkle next time, too, if you don’t love spice.
Can this be served cold?
love this squash and brussels sprouts dish
Your recipe immediately made me want to achieve and I was not disappointed! This salad is delicious (even without bacon)! Thank you very much!
I’ve made this 5 or 6 times now and every time I forget how easy it is. I don’t save it for special occasions usually, especially because my boyfriend loves it! The last two times I’ve made this (including tonight) I made it for a potluck at work. Everyone loved it the first time around so I’m doing it again hoping for the same results.
A couple of things I changed:
– left out the cloves because it’s such a small amount I didnt want to buy them just for this. Flavour is still very good!
– I prefer to cook the Brussels and squash on separate pans in case one needs less cooking time than the other, and also my pans are too small to put them both on one
– I mix the dressing/sauce into the veggies in a bowl rather than mixing them on the pan. Since some of the dressing will stick to the bowl I make a double batch of it so I don’t have to worry about losing some of the flavour stuck in the bowl.
Anyway, thanks a lot for the recipe! I’m sure I’ll be making it for years to come. 🙂
Perfect! So happy this has become a favorite 🙂 the perfect side dish!
made this without the bacon & basically ate it as my meal for multiple days in a row. Super delicious and obsessed with the cayenne pepper spice addition!
So good!! Glad you enjoyed!
Thoughts on substituting sweet potatoes for the butternut squash? If so, how does that change the cooking time? Thanks!
That would be delicious! It should cook similarly 🙂
This dish was EPIC! The flavors were insanely delicious and I just wanted to keep eating! My family loved it.
(FWIW I didn’t have cayenne, so I used chili powder, and I used goat cheese instead of Gorgonzola)
Yum!! I will have to make this again this fall. I might add a little less cayenne pepper- it had a pretty good kick for my taste buds. The cheese went well with the spice.
So great for fall! And yes feel free to adjust the cayenne however you like 🙂
Made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was a favorite! Will make it again this year!!
I’m so glad! One of my favs, too 🙂
Absolutely delicious. The sweetness of the squash and maple, saltiness of the cheese and bacon, and the kick of red pepper are a great flavor combination. My hubby is not a fan of sweet squash dishes, so I was a little concerned, but he absolutely loved this. Thanks. We’ll be eating this often.
Amazing! I’m glad it was a hit 🙂
I opted to use pancetta instead of bacon, serving for guests (now that we can be somewhat social again) along side of grilled duck
Perfect! Great idea!
I’ve made this for every friendsgiving/thanksgiving the past 2 years and it is ALWAYS a hit! Everyone always wants the recipe.
Oh yay!!! So happy you guys all love this one!
Outstanding recipe. Very sophisticated and tasty combination of ingredients. Looks stunning on the plate too. Highly recommend for holiday meals. My only comment would be to recommend toning down the cayenne. Assuming I used the correct amount, I think the dish could use 1/4 teaspoon cayenne instead of one full teaspoon. I love spicy food but I found one full teaspoon to be overpowering. Keep up the great work. We love your recipes.
Hi, there! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback about the spice level. Totally fine to reduce the amount of cayenne! Happy you loved this dish 🙂
Hey Monique,
I’m sitting here eating Brussels sprouts with butternuts squash, cranberries and maple syrup from a local shop. They have a delightful smoldering kick to them so I went out looking for a recipe to recreate them. Do you think you could use chipotle instead of cayenne in these? I kind of like the idea of a more smoky spice, especially with the bacon.
Recipe also seems to have enough toppings that if someone wasn’t fond of one they could eliminate and still have a flavor explosion!! Look forward to trying…
So this was delish. Even my veg hating partner loved it. Only thing I’d change is maybe add some kind of sauce/drizzle as it was a little dry. Any suggestions welcome….
Thank you so much for sharing.
Great recipe! Just had it tonight. It tastes like fall! I can’t wait to bring this as a side dish to someone’s house. Nice and filling, and the pecans and goat cheese made it pretty heavenly. Thank you!
WOO! Glad to hear you’re loving this recipe and it turns out amazing for you!
Take out the bacon and this dish looks heavenly. Can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you!
These are SO addictive!! I make them extra crispy by preheating the oven to 450 and put the cookie sheet in the oven while it heats. I skipped the bacon and used blue cheese crumbles. DELICIOUS!
I liked the recipe but thought the gorgonzola cheese over powered the dish.
Thanks
Thanks for your feedback – you could totally try feta if you prefer a not so strong cheese.
This is the 2nd year I have made this dish and it was again the fav dish in the table. If you want a creamier taste, do the goat cheese but I love both. This dish won’t fail and it’s easy to make.
YAY! So glad this recipe is a hit and everyone loves it!
I love this recipe! Making it again for Christmas. Such a great combination of ingredients/flavors!
Served this with dinner tonight and it was a hit with the family. I only used a pinch of cayenne as most of us don’t like spicy foods and feta because that’s what I had in the fridge. Everyone enjoyed the little kick.
Perfect! So glad everyone enjoyed!
Such a delicious mix of ingredients and spices. I did omit the bacon but otherwise followed the recipe. It was much enjoyed at last night’s Friendsgiving, and one person commented on how ‘fall’ it looked.
Looking forward to trying more AK recipes!
Perfect! Such a great fall dish 🙂