Balsamic-Herb Cranberry Roasted Squash is an Thanksgiving side dish, that’s lovely for the holiday season! It’s full of beautiful, sweet and savory, fall and winter flavors.
I think I might have actually closed my eyes after the first bite went in my mouth. “It’s SO good!” That was my first thought when I tasted this delicious recipe.
It’s like fall on a sheet pan. It’s seasonal first because of the warm colors, second because of the earthy flavors, and third because of the soft textures. A very warm and comforting recipe.
Thus, a perfect Thanksgiving side dish.
Balsamic-Herb Cranberry Roasted Squash began when I bought a lot of extra produce for a job I did last week that involved all kinds of fall and winter squash. In fact as I was working, seeing what was getting used, and what wasn’t, I was already cooking up this new recipe in my mind.
Here’s some of what I started my job with . . .
I was left with a few of the carrots, half a Kabocha squash, two Acorn squash, fresh cranberries and an orange. Naturally, I added onion, garlic and a few fresh herbs, which all created a beautiful spread of ingredients.
I served this with rice and roasted chicken and my whole family loved it. And I’m definitely going to make it for Thanksgiving this year. Just imagine a bite with a bit of Bacon Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey on your fork!
Can you use Other Winter Squash?
- You can use pretty much use any fall or winter squash you want.
- I used Kabocha and Acorn, but Butternut, Pumpkin and Delicate would also be fantastic.
- If you have one favorite you can use just one — though, while they are all similar in flavor and texture, the differences are enough that using a few different varieties makes for a more interesting dish.
If Acorn squash is a favorite of yours, Pecan-Crusted Acorn Squash with Crispy Sage Leaves also screams Thanksgiving. 
Cutting the squash will take a little bit of time, though it’s a really easy recipe to put together. And if you’re making it for a holiday gathering, it can be made a day ahead of time. (Just heat it in a 375 degree F oven before serving.)
Enjoy this wonderfully delicious Balsamic-Herb Cranberry Roasted Squash! Thanksgiving sides with squash are always a hit!
A side dish, that's lovely for the holiday season! It's full of beautiful, sweet and savory, fall and winter flavors.
- olive oil
- 4 pounds orange squash Acorn, Kabocha, Delicate, Butternut or Pumpkin, or combination there of — peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups yellow onion cut into a very large dice
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 12 small to medium sized garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with root ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, washed and dried, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, washed and dried, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and adjust a rack to the center.
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Add the squash, carrots, onions, cranberries and garlic to a sheet pan. Toss with just enough olive oil to lightly coat all of the ingredients, and sprinkle with the rosemary, sage and salt and pepper. Toss again and then arrange everything in as close to a single layer as possible (there will be some overlap). Place in the preheated 475 degree F oven and roast for 20 minutes. At this point it should be sizzling and just starting to caramelize.
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Remove the sheet pan from the oven and reduce the heat to 400 degrees F.
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Drizzle evenly with the balsamic vinegar and orange juice and add drop the pieces of butter throughout. Gently mix together, sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and return to the now 400 degree F oven, and roast until everything is very nicely caramelized, about another 20 minutes.
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Serve!
This Balsamic Herb Cranberry roasted squash looks very delicious. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
Thank you for visiting! 🙂
Roasted veggies are always a delight, but that splash of balsamic really makes the flavors pop! And yes!! to easy and scrumptious Thanksgiving sides!
Thanks so much, Deb! Can’t believe the holidays are creeping up on us already!
What a great idea. I’m making this. I love the addition of the fresh cranberries.
Thank you so much, Patricia! I hope you love it as much as I do. 🙂
I love Kabocha squash! And you’re so right that this would be lovely at Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Mary! 🙂
I love this use of balsamic and I love the addition of cranberries! Perfect holiday side for sure.
Yay! 😀
This looks perfect for Thanksgiving! Love all those fall flavors and colors!
Thank you Jessica. Hope you try it. 🙂
This is screaming fall! Love it!
Thank you, Suzy! 🙂
Ohhh yum! I love squash but I haven’t tried it with cranberries. Such a good idea!
Thanks Liz! So happy I tried the cranberry combination — that’s what happens with a bunch of leftover ingredients. 🙂
Perfect for Halloween, too!
Agreed! Or for tonight! 😉
The holidays have officially started with this beauty. GREG
I know this has nothing to do with the recipe (which looks amazing btw), but I just discovered you can adjust the number of servings, and it ADJUSTS THE INGREDIENT AMOUNTS! OMG this is so brilliant. I have a small family of three and I’m really bad at math, so this is about the greatest invention I’ve ever seen. THANK YOU! I’ll report back on the recipe after I make it, too. 🙂
Thank you! Thatfeature the came with recipe card I use. I love it too. 🙂 I hope you find the recipe as delicious as I do. Enjoy and thanks for sharing!
I made this for Thanksgiving as my main vegetarian option, and enjoyed it with all the traditional sides (rest of family had turkey and enjoyed this as a side). I regretfully ignored the advice to spread out the veggies and roast on sheet pan and instead did it in a casserole dish and regretted that the veggies didn’t get that full roastyness (more steamed than roasted). The fall flavors were fantastic though, and I think since everything cooked very soft, today I’m going to puree this with veg stock and see how it holds up as a soup. It was a bit fussy cutting up all the hard squashes, so I think next time I will go for the pre-cubed squashes you can buy in the deli or freezer section. Thank you for a very unique recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m so happy it was a hit! And puréeing the leftovers for a soup is a fabulous idea! I’ll have to try that next time too. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!~ Valentina
This looks beautiful. All of the vegetables you used are fantastic and the flavors just take it to another level.
Thanks so much Andrea!
Fall on a sheet pan indeed! How beautiful and delicious sounding! I just love all the squash this time of year and I also love a good sheet pan dish that doesn’t require a lot of dishes!
Thanks so much, Tracy. 🙂 Enjoy!
It’s all the best parts of Thanksgiving side dishes in one meal! Going to try this for Christmas.
I hope you love it, Jenna! 🙂
I can’t get enough roasted vegetables this time of year! They’re so simple and satisfying!
I totally agree, Mary. Thanks and enjoy!
I’m loving all the fall colors in this dish. It’s just so pretty and perfect for serving at Thanksgiving or really anytime.
Thanks Kelly. I love it around Thanksgiving. 🙂