Crunchy Maple Glazed Squash

I was a bonafide veggie hater growing up, but over the last 10 years or so I've really tried to expand the variety of produce that I eat. It's helped that I live in an area that's loaded with farms and orchards. One of my recent discoveries is delicata squash. I used it for these Quinoa Stuffed Squash Boats last year, and was so happy to find it again on my last visit.

While scrolling through Instagram I saw a friend had posted a recipe from Taste of Home called Crunchy Honey Glazed Butternut Squash. I just happened to have 2 nice sized delicata on hand. Depending on the type of squash you use, you may have to microwave it as the recipe states to get it soft enough to slice. I was able to slice mine without doing that, and I did not peel it.

I opened the cabinet I discovered that my son had used all the honey but a tablespoon or so. It's the law that if you live in New England you have to have real maple syrup on hand at all times, so I used that in place of the honey.

I loved this so much I immediately added it to my Christmas dinner menu. The maple and thyme worked so well together and caused some delicious caramelized spots on top. The texture contrast with the breadcrumbs is just awesome. Thank you so much to Sarah T. for sharing her recipe!

Crunchy Maple Glazed Squash

Ingredients

1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
1 large butternut squash (about 5 pounds), peeled, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large saucepan, heat maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon thyme, stirring occasionally, over low heat until fragrant, 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large microwave-safe dish, combine squash and water; microwave, covered, on high until squash is tender, 6-8 minutes. Drain. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat.
On a flat surface, stack squash slices. Arrange stacks on their sides in a greased 9-in. square baking dish. (To make stacking easier, set baking dish on end; fill with squash stacks. When dish is full, return to original position.) Drizzle 3 tablespoons maple syrup mixture over squash.
Bake until squash is tender, 45-50 minutes. In a small skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add bread crumbs; toss with remaining thyme and remaining salt and pepper. Cook and stir until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle over baked squash; if desired, drizzle with additional maple syrup mixture.