Maple Bacon Butternut Squash Recipe

This bacon butternut squash recipe takes a classic fall side dish and glazes it with maple syrup and bourbon, which sets it a notch above the rest. It's easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for Thanksgiving dinner.

If you're a butternut squash fan, our Butternut Squash Soup blends roasted red peppers right in with the squash and is every bit as good. And for a little background on how we think about the dishes we share, take a look at Southern Food Then and Now.

Jump to:

• How This Recipe Came to Be
• Ingredients Needed
• How to Make Bacon Butternut Squash
• Sara's Expert Tips
• Variations
• What to Serve With It
• Storage Information
• Recipe FAQs
• Do you love cooking with bourbon?
• 📖 Recipe
• Hot Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is such an interesting time of the year to me. It's a time when people who don't usually cook try their hand at it. It's a time when people keep inviting friends and loved ones over until they realize, "I've never cooked for this many people before!"

It's also a time so wrapped in tradition that the tiniest change from years past can bring gasps of "Why is this different?!" and "What do you mean you didn't make it this year?!"

With that being said, this recipe is the answer to all your Thanksgiving woes. Butternut squash is a classic side dish that pretty much everyone already loves. The maple, bacon, and bourbon make it interesting, but not so wild that the tradition lovers at your table will balk at it. And best of all, it is EASY. Y'all, it is so easy.

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How This Recipe Came to Be

I recently dove into a book that had been sitting on my bookshelf for a long time called The Flavor Bible. Have y'all heard of this beautiful thing? It is truly magical.

Inside you'll find just about every ingredient you can think of (seriously, try me, it's in there) along with a list of the flavors that complement it. Chefs love it for the inspiration it brings, and this dish was inspired by it.

I wanted to come up with an awesome butternut squash recipe for the holidays, so I looked it up in The Flavor Bible. Three flavors under butternut squash jumped out at me right away. Maple. Bourbon. Bacon. How could that go wrong?

I'm not going to lie. I pulled this out of the oven, popped a big forkful in my mouth, put the fork down, called my mom, and declared, "I AM A CULINARY GENIUS!" Seriously, it's that good.

Ingredients Needed

• Bacon - I slice it into thin strips, called lardons, before cooking. The rendered grease gets tossed with the squash, so nothing goes to waste.
• Butternut Squash - You can peel and cube a whole squash or grab the pre-cut cubes from the produce section. Either one works great.
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper - Just enough to season the squash before it roasts.
• Maple Syrup - Use real maple syrup here, not pancake syrup. It caramelizes into the glaze.
• Bourbon - Any bourbon you like to sip will work. It adds a warm, oaky flavor that pairs perfectly with the maple.

How to Make Bacon Butternut Squash

1. Cook the bacon. Cook the sliced bacon until it's nearly done, then set it aside and save the grease.
2. Roast the squash. Toss the squash in the bacon grease with salt and pepper, spread it in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast for about 25 minutes.
3. Add the glaze. Stir together the maple syrup and bourbon, then pour it over the squash along with the bacon and toss to coat.
4. Finish roasting. Return the pan to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the squash starts to brown.

Sara's Expert Tips

• If you're starting with a whole squash, trim off both ends, cut it where the neck meets the round bottom, and peel each piece with a vegetable peeler. Scoop out the seeds before cubing. If the skin is giving you trouble, microwave the whole squash for 2 to 3 minutes to soften it up.
• Try to cut your cubes about the same size, around 1 inch, so they all finish roasting at the same time.
• Keep an eye on the pan during the last 10 to 15 minutes. Maple syrup has a lot of sugar, and it can go from caramelized to burnt pretty quickly.
• Don't crowd the pan. If the squash is piled up, it will steam instead of roast. Use two baking sheets if you need to.

Variations

This recipe is great as written, but it's also easy to play with. Toasted pecans add crunch, and a handful of dried cranberries makes it even more festive for the holidays. Fresh rosemary or thyme works well with the maple, and a pinch of red pepper flakes gives it a little kick.

You can also roast halved Brussels sprouts right alongside the squash to stretch it into a bigger side dish.

If you'd rather skip the bourbon, apple cider is a good substitute.

What to Serve With It

Bacon and butternut squash are a natural match for poultry, so this goes great with any of our turkey recipes. If you're building out a holiday menu, our Green Bean Bundles and succotash recipe round out the table nicely.

Storage Information

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

The best way to reheat this is in the air fryer. A few minutes at 375°F crisps the bacon back up and warms the squash through without making it mushy. Give the basket a shake halfway through. You can reheat it in the microwave in a pinch, but the bacon will be softer.

I haven't tested freezing this recipe, so I wouldn't recommend it. The squash tends to get too soft in the freezer.

Recipe FAQs

Do you love cooking with bourbon?

Try these other awesome recipes:

• Banana Bread Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze
• Honey Bourbon Chicken
• Mint Julep Ice Cream with Bourbon Sauce
• Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce
• Bacon Bourbon Jam

📖 Recipe