Thanksgiving Roasted Vegetables
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
Bring bold color and flavors to your Thanksgiving table! Tender green beans and sweet butternut squash are roasted to perfection, then tossed with crispy bacon and crunchy pumpkin seeds for a sweet and side dish that will steal the show.
Vegetable side dishes are always hard for me. I’m one to throw a bunch of veggies on a pan with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper then roast them and call it a day.
I’m also big on potato based side dishes. We frequently have baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, or french fries at out house. But whenever the holidays roll around I like to try some new and exciting side dishes.
I do have a few vegetable side dishes that I make for the holidays. The Best Baked Corn is a good one to serve with ham or beef dishes. Easy Zucchini Casserole is an easy to make side that’s great for summer holidays. A newer favorite of mine has been Loaded Cauliflower Casserole. For Thanksgiving I often make Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash.
I’m not a huge butternut squash fan but I do think that it tastes good roasted in the oven with other vegetables. It’s one of those winter squash that’s hard to cut and takes a while to cook in the oven.
What is butternut squash?
Butternut squash is a sweet, nutty winter squash with smooth and pale tan skin and deep orange flesh. It’s thick at the bottom and slender at the top and belongs to the same family as pumpkins and zucchini.
I don’t use butternut squash very often because they are hard to handle and hard to cut. You need a good knife to be able to cut through them.
How do you cut and peel a butternut squash?
Use a vegetable peeler and peel the squash. Then use a sharp, sturdy knife and cut the squash at the neck so it’s easier to handle. The neck doesn’t have seeds so go ahead and chop or cube that part. Cut the large base in half and scoop out the seeds. Then cut into cubes or chop into pieces.
This recipe uses butternut squash and green beans which are an unlikely combination but they really work together. The bright orange squash and green beans look great together as well. Then the veggies are tossed with bacon and pumpkin seeds.
This is a great way to use up pumpkin seeds you might have from carving pumpkins. If you have raw pumpkin seeds you will need to toast them before adding them to this dish.
How do you toast pumpkin seeds?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 7-10 minutes, stirring a few times, but make sure they do not burn. Remove from the oven when they begin to brown.
Ingredients:
- fresh green beans (do not use canned or frozen)
- butternut squash
- salt and pepper
- garlic cloves
- olive oil
- salted butter
- bacon
- pumpkin seeds
To make the vegetables, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the butternut squash on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
Flip the butternut squash over and add the green beans. Drizzle with salt, pepper, and garlic cloves. Roast for 15 minutes or until green beans begin to brown.
Cut the butter into pieces and place all over the vegetables. Roast for 5 minutes. Add the bacon and pumpkin seeds and toss everything to combine. Serve warm.
This was a surprisingly tasty side dish. I didn’t figure that a few veggies with bacon and pumpkin seeds would be a big deal but it was really flavorful.
The butternut squash gave a nice sweetness after it was roasted and the bacon added saltiness. The pumpkin seeds were crisp and so good tossed with the salt, pepper, and garlic.
This was a colorful dish that was perfect to serve in the fall. It would be good at as a holiday side dish but it’s easy enough to make as an everyday side dish.
Roasted Green Beans and Butternut Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh green beans trimmed
- 12 ounces butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 6 slices cooked bacon chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Place the butternut squash cubes on the baking sheet. Drizzle with half of the olive oil and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper.
- Roast the squash for 15 minutes. Flip over.
- Add the green beans, remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat everything. Add the minced garlic.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, chop the butter into small pieces, and scatter over top of the vegetables. Bake for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and add the bacon and pumpkin seeds. Mix to combine.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Thanksgiving Roasted Vegetables> by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Squash, Apple, and Cranberry Casserole by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Butternut Squash Gratin by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Black Pepper and Rosemary Angel Biscuits by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Taiwanese Pork Chops by Sneha’s Recipe
- Cranberry Salsa by Art of Natural Living
- Homemade Mushroom Chestnut Stuffing by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Cranberry masal puri by Magical Ingredients
This is colorful and inviting! This is a great option to add to the menu.
Roast veggies are great in the first place, then your add-ins really put this over the top!
Roasting veggies makes them taste so good! I’d definitely go back for seconds.
I love roasted vegetables, and the addition of bacon and pumpkin seeds elevates this dish to the next level.
This looks amazing! I’ve been cheating and buying the pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash and I’m excited for a new way to use it.