Autumn days mean cooler temperatures and wonderful food made from the fresh fall produce. Today’s recipe is a simple side dish of roasted butternut squash with red onion tossed with fresh spinach, dried cranberries, and pecans. Yum!

You can of course make adjustments to fit your needs. Try a different type of nut or drop nuts all together. I’m using fruit-juice sweetened dry cranberries. They’re so good and perfect for fall dishes. Serve the dish warm, but left-overs make a tasty cold salad the next day. For convenience you can use frozen cubed butternut squash. According to Alexa:
It depends on size, but generally, after you’ve removed the peel and seeds from a butternut squash weighing 2 lbs., it will yield about 3 cups of diced squash. A small butternut squash, weighing around 1 lb., will yield 1 to 1 1/2 cups diced squash. If using fresh butternut squash you need at least 2 lb. for this recipe.
Roasted Butternut Squash & Onion With Fresh Spinach
Use organic when available. Serves 6
Roasted Butternut Squash With Onion & Fresh Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 oz fresh spinach
- 1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C)
- Grease baking sheet or spray with non-stick oil
- Slice butternut squash in half and slice squash into 1" slices
- Peel and clean each slice, removing and discarding seeds and stringy pulp from the center
- Cut slices into 1" cubes
- Place butternut squash cubes and red onion into bowl
- Add olive oil and toss to coat
- Transfer squash & onion to baking sheet
- Roast in oven until squash is tender and starting to brown, 25 to 30 minutes
- While squash bakes, wash fresh spinach and pat dry
- Remove spinach stems and tear leaves into bite-size pieces
- Remove squash mixture from oven and place in serving bowl
- Add spinach, dried cranberries, and pecans
- Add salt & pepper to taste
- Toss to mix and serve warm
- Leftovers can be served as a cold salad the next day if desired
Enjoy!


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Ohh! I love the sound of this, minus the spinach, I am not a fan. I like that this time of year cranberries become popular again. I do love them.
You can substitute another green you like – how about romaine lettuce?
You’ve so perfectly captured so many of my favorite Fall flavors in this dish… and with just 8 ingredients you’ve also created a delicious and easy dinner. YUM!
You always say the nicest things Heidi – have a wonderful week!
Oh yum. This looks fantastic.
I am certainly going to keep this one in mind. Love butternut squash. Thank you so much!!
-Soma
Oh my goodness this looks amazing!! These are most of my favorite flavors combined too and even though I literally just finished eating dinner I wish I had a plate of this in front of me. Pinned and I can’t wait to try it.
thanks so much Joanne – I’m happy you like it. It is definitely fall to me when I see this dish.
Gracias por la receta. Te mando un beso.
This is one of my favorite recipes, so I will have to try this – sounds delish!
thanks Patti – it is delish!