Roasted Cubed Butternut Squash With Cauliflower And Bacon

Roasting butternut squash in a hot oven browns the edges and brings out its sweetness. With the cauliflower, spinach, red onion, and bacon on the same pan, it works for a weeknight dinner or as a Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish.

I often make this on Sunday nights to eat during the work week. It holds up well for meal prep. My whole family loves it, kids included.

Serve it on its own or as a side to meal-prep meals like this Korean noodle bowl, Tuscan chicken and cauliflower rice, or honey sriracha meatballs.

💛 Why you’ll love this recipe

• Everything roasts on one sheet pan.
• Filling and flavorful.
• An easy side dish for a holiday table.
• Good for meal prep and easy to double on two sheet pans.
• The sour cream is optional, so it is easy to leave out the dairy.

➡️ Ingredients

• Avocado oil
• Garlic cloves
• Dijon mustard
• Golden monk fruit sweetener or brown sugar
• Paprika
• Salt
• Cumin
• Black pepper
• Butternut squash
• Cauliflower
• Red onion
• Bacon
• Spinach
• Sour cream (optional)

(Need ingredient substitution suggestions? See that section below for my recommendations.)

⏲ How to make roasted cubed butternut squash with cauliflower, spinach, and bacon

This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Prepare Dressing: Mix together dressing ingredients.
• Prepare Vegetables: Arrange the cubed butternut squash, cauliflower florets, and sliced onion in an even layer on a baking sheet. Pour the prepared dressing on top and then, using a spoon or your hands, coat the vegetables in the dressing.
• Bake: Roast the vegetables at 400°F for 20 minutes. Then, remove the pan from the oven, add the bacon pieces to the baking sheet and incorporate the bacon into the vegetables and the dressing. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the bacon is crispy, about an additional 25 minutes. After that, add in the spinach and, using a spoon, gently stir to mix through the other ingredients. Return the baking sheet to the oven to bake until the spinach has wilted, about an additional 5 minutes.
• Taste Test, Garnish, And Serve: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to slightly cool before carefully taste-testing. Based on your preferences, add a little more salt. Top with sour cream, if using, and serve.

👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions

• Avocado Oil: You can substitute olive oil for avocado oil 1:1.
• Dijon Mustard: Spicy brown mustard, yellow mustard, or stone ground mustard can all be used in place of Dijon.
• Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener: Brown sugar can be used here at a 1:1 ratio. You can also use Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener, Swerve, or erythritol.
• Butternut Squash: Pie pumpkins or sweet potatoes work really well in place of butternut squash here.
• Red Onion: Yellow onions or white onions can be substituted here at a 1:1 ratio.
• Bacon: Turkey bacon or pancetta can be used in place of regular bacon here. Both tend to be thinner than regular bacon, so add a few extra pieces.
• Spinach: If you don’t have fresh spinach on hand, you can use about 80 grams (3 ounces) of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry. Arugula or baby kale also works in place of spinach.
• Sour Cream: You can omit the sour cream if you don’t have any on hand, or if you want the recipe to be dairy-free. If dairy isn’t an issue, but you don’t want to use sour cream, you can substitute in full-fat Greek yogurt.

✨ Variations

• Add ½ teaspoon curry powder, ground sage, dried rosemary, and/or ground thyme to the dressing mixture for some added savory flavors.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of maple syrup, Lakanto Maple-Flavored Syrup, or honey to the dressing mixture.
• Sprinkle ground cayenne pepper and/or red pepper flakes atop squash and cauliflower before baking for some added heat.
• Sprinkle cinnamon and/or nutmeg on top of the vegetables before baking for some added sweetness.
• When adding in the spinach, sprinkle on some pine nuts for some added texture and flavor.
• When adding in the spinach, toss in a handful of dried cranberries for added sweetness.
• Right before serving, grate some Parmesan cheese atop the dish.

➜ Cooking and recipe tips

• To save time, buy pre-cubed fresh butternut squash (in the produce section of most grocery stores). Frozen cubed butternut squash works in this recipe, too.
• If you use a whole butternut squash, follow these instructions to prepare it for easy and safe cubing:

  • Using a sharp knife, poke several holes all around the squash.
  • Place the whole squash in the microwave and microwave in 60-second increments until just slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Remove the squash from the microwave and allow it to cool slightly.
  • Peel the skin off with a vegetable peeler then, using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise, use a spoon to remove the seeds, then cut into 1-inch cubes.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan with the vegetables. Too many too close together won’t allow them to get crispy edges. I like to use large baking sheets when baking this recipe. If you only have smaller baking sheets, bake this recipe in two separate batches.
• Use thinly-sliced bacon. If you only have thicker slices on hand, you will likely need to bake the bacon longer than the recipe says.

💬 FAQs

📚 More roasted vegetable recipes

• Sheet Pan Sausage And Vegetables
• Sheet Pan Breakfast Hash
• Roasted Radishes
• Roasted Maple Parmesan Carrots