Eats: Roasted Butternut Squash With Spicy Onions

Hello! Still deciding on a vegetable side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner? Or just want to try a new butternut squash recipe? Well, then, I've got a great one for you:

Roasted Butternut Squash With Spicy Onions (adapted from a Bon Appetit magazine recipe)

Spicy Onions

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey

Assembly

1 cup pecans
2 large butternut squash (about 4 lb.), peeled, seeded, sliced 1/4"thick
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, freshly-ground pepper to salt
seasonings to taste (I used an all-purpose no-salt blend)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Spicy Onions: heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, stirring often, until lightly charred and softened but not falling apart, 5-7 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and toss to combine. Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice and honey. Can make up to three days in advance; cover and chill. 

Assembly: preheat oven to 350. Toast pecans on small rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. 

Increase oven temperature to 400. Toss squash and 1/4 cup olive oil in medium bowl; season with salt, pepper, and seasonings of choice. Divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets; reserve bowl. Roast, undisturbed, until tender, 15-20 minutes. 

Return squash to bowl; add pecans, parsley and spicy onions, and toss to combine. 

Transfer squash mixture to a large serving platter; crumble feta over, and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Yield: 8 servings. Can be served at room temperature.

And here's how this dish turned out:

It was really good! I made a half recipe since I was going to be the only one eating it. I had to restrain myself from gobbling up the whole thing in one sitting (I made it last for three servings).

In fact, I liked it so much, I bought more butternut squash at our farmer's market last week so I could make it again. 

I have a confession to make, though - I made a number of changes in the recipe, either because I didn't care for an ingredient (I like lemon juice, but not the original inclusion of lime juice) or else I didn't have it on hand (don't typically buy goat cheese, so I used feta instead). 

However, if you'd like to try the original recipe, look here. 

Whether you make the original version, or make as many changes as I did, do give it a try if you like butternut squash. I'm guessing that other winter squash varieties, or even sweet potatoes, could be used instead - but that's a change I didn't make!