No, I am not testing recipes for Thanksgiving side dishes, because the truth is that as much as I love to cook, the holiday isn’t at my house and I don’t do much (any) of the cooking. However, this weekend I was thinking about the cranberries in my refrigerator, and wondering if I could roast them. I had some butternut squash on hand too, so I decided to give this a try.

Please be warned – although roasting generally brings out sweetness, this dish is still quite tart. You might get a few ‘faces’ at the table if you serve this as a side dish, especially if they are expecting something similar to sweet cranberry sauce. So if you’re serving this on it’s own, I’d add another tablespoon of sugar.

I decided to toss the squash and cranberries over a spinach salad with white beans, with a balsamic vinaigrette. When all the flavors mixed together, it was just right. Not to mention, quite a pretty salad!

1 20 oz. package butternut squash, peeled and cut
2 c. cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 T canola oil
1 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, and place in a 13″x9″ dish. Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes, or until squash is softened, stirring occasionally.

• Salads
• sides