Maple Hasselback Butternut Squash

This easy Maple Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe is perfect for holiday entertaining!

With tender roasted squash and a cinnamon maple glaze, this is a great savory and sweet side dish. This one is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas! Plus, it's pretty easy.

Recipe Inspiration

We're right in the middle of squash season, and I've been loving how delicious and affordable butternut squash is. I've made pasta, mashed squash, and soup, but I wanted to add a hasselback recipe to the squash collection of recipes for Tasting with Tina.

I love the thought of this dish on a holiday table. It's beautiful - the presentation is so show stopping with fresh herbs and that delicious maple glaze. Plus, add some cranberries for a super festive holiday look.

This side dish would go great with turkey, ham, or been tenderloin. It's a great addition to any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Maple Hasselback Butternut Squash on a platter with herbs

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that you will need for this recipe:

Butternut Squash - choose small to medium sized squash for this recipe
Olive Oil - regular
Salt and Pepper
Maple Syrup - I love this brand. You can buy it on Amazon!
Unsalted Butter
Cinnamon
Pumpkin Pie Seasoning
Fresh Herbs - for serving

Directions

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice squash down the center. Remove the seeds with a spoon and peel the outside skin. Alternately, if you find the squash too hard to peel, you can wait to peel the outside skin after the first round of roasting, before you make the hasselback slices.

Place squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake squash until it softens, about 20 minutes.

While the squash is baking, combine maple syrup, softened butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie seasoning in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. If the butter hardens, this is perfectly fine. When you put it on the squash it will melt again!

When the squash is softened, remove from the oven. Let squash slightly cool. Transfer squash to a cutting board and make ⅛ inch slices crosswise into the squash, making sure not to slice all the way through. Repeat until you’ve made slices in all of the squash.

A trick to make sure you’re not slicing through the squash is to lay a butter knife on each side. When you make the cut, you’ll hit the butter knife and not cut through the entire squash.

Hasselback Butternut Squash on a baking tray

Return squash to baking pan and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until all the squash is tender. All squash are different, so it could take more or less time than 30 minutes depending on your squash.

Remove the squash and add ½ of the maple butter. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven. At this point, your house should smell amazing!

Transfer squash to a serving platter and top with the rest of the maple butter. Make sure you get the maple butter in all of the slices of the squash!

Serve with fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or oregano. If you're feeling festive, add some cranberries to the serving tray as well.

Hasselback Roasted Butternut Squash on a baking tray

Kitchen Equipment

There are a few things you'll need for this recipe. You can get all of the products below on Amazon.

Chef's knife - The most important part of this recipe is the super thin slices of squash! Make sure you have a high quality chef's knife to make this as easy as possible. I have this one from Wustof and absolutely love it.
Peeler - You'll need this for peeling the squash. There is a huge difference between a bad peeler and a good one, so if you're in need of an upgrade, check out this one.
Serving Tray - Every holiday dish needs a tray to serve it on! For the holidays, I love a classic white serving tray so the food can really stand out. Check out this set of serving trays for a consistent look for your holiday table.

Hasselback Butternut Squash on a Serving tray with a napkin

Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Here are some substitutions and variations for this Maple Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe.

Make it savory: If you love savory flavors instead of sweet, swap the cinnamon and pumpkin spice seasoning for garlic and herbs for a savory twist.
Switch the squash: Honeynut squash would also work great for this recipe. You could also try with acorn squash!
Add a topping: Instead of herbs add some toasted walnuts or pecans for a delicious crunch. Bonus points if you toast them butter and cinnamon before you add them to the squash.
Swap the vegetable: If you don't like butternut squash, you can do this with regular potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about this recipe.

Does butternut squash need to be peeled before cooking?

Butternut squash can be peeled before or after cooking; however, butternut squash should definitely be peeled before eating.

What does hasselback mean in cooking?

Hasselback means to slice thinly, but without cutting all the way through a food. Potatoes and squash are two very commonly hasselbacked foods.

More Butternut Squash Recipes

Roasted Butternut Squash Feta Pasta: This easy but delicious pasta dish is perfect for weeknight dinners or small get togethers. Your guests will absolutely love how unique it is!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup: If you love soup season as much as I do, you will love this easy soup recipe! I love that this one has roasted carrots for added flavor and nutritional benefits.

Butternut Squash Orzo with Whipped Feta: Who else is an orzo fan?! I love orzo, and it really shines in this butternut squash orzo and whipped feta recipe. I love this one for a fancy-feeling date night at home with some Chardonnay. Yum.