Baked Brown Sugar & Honey Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash is a winter squash, but baking it with brown sugar, honey and butter reminds me of the flavors of Fall!!! Squash isn't a vegetable that my family prefers, but they are getting better. It's the same thing with yellow and zucchini squash unless I disguise it.

Me, I love just about any vegetable imaginable. I grew up eating a variety of squash, so it's hard for me to try and come up with recipes to convince my family just how delicious squash can be. When my kids were babies I could bake acorn squash with salt and pepper, mash it up, and they would eat it by the spoonfuls. Now that they're older they just don't seem to care for it.  

Baked Acorn Squash is the perfect Fall side dish!!! Roasting or baking acorn or butternut squash with a little, butter, brown sugar, honey, salt & pepper is the easiest way to prepare this squash. I like to score the inside of the squash with a knife so all the yummy juices really get down into the squash as it bakes.

When the squash is done it will have a nice caramelized color and be fork tender. To eat you can scoop the squash out into a serving bowl, or just mush around in their shells and eat with a fork. Baked acorn squash also makes a beautiful side dish for Thanksgiving.  

These are the ingredients you will need: 4 acorn squash, butter, salt and pepper, brown sugar and honey. If you don't like honey you can substitute with maple syrup. 

Acorn squash has a tough outside skin, so cutting in half can be difficult. Carefully cut squash in half, using a sharp knife. Remove the seeds until the inside is smooth. Use a paring knife to score the inside of each half in a criss-cross pattern. 

Place squash halves cut side up in a baking pan with sides or use a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Pour about a 1 cup water around the squash to keep it from drying out while baking. 

Season with salt and pepper, butter (1 tablespoon per halve), brown sugar (1/2 tablespoon per halve) and honey (1 teaspoon per halve). 

Baked Brown Sugar & Honey Acorn Squash

2  - whole acorn squash
salt and pepper, to taste
4 - tablespoons butter 
2 - tablespoons brown sugar
4 - teaspoons honey 
1 - cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully cut each squash in half, using a sharp knife. Remove the seeds until the inside is smooth. Use a paring knife to score the inside of each half in a criss-cross pattern. 

Place squash halves cut side up in a baking pan with sides or use a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Pour about a 1 cup water around the squash to keep it from drying out while baking. 

Season with salt and pepper, butter (1 tablespoon per halve), brown sugar (1/2 tablespoon per halve) and honey (1 teaspoon per halve). 

Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until the tops are lightly browned and the squash is fork tender. Cool a bit before serving. 

Cooks Note: The hardest part is cutting the squash, so be careful. It has a tough outside skin and the squash can rock back and forth when cutting, so use caution with a sharp knife. If you do not like honey you can substitute using Maple Syrup and add a sprinkle of cinnamon.