Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Butternut Squash
Bacon. That was the one word Hubby gave me when I asked him what he wanted to see in my week of butternut squash recipes.
So I set out to find a bacon and butternut recipe. Once I saw this picture on Tastespotting, there was no question. Duh, everything wrapped in bacon is amazing. Since Hubby suggested it, he offered to cook this recipe for me. It does require a bit of time to ensure the bacon gets cooked all the way through.
All the turning and brushing with the syrup really paid off. The bacon has a great sweet and spicy flavor. And you get a lovely sweet and salty combo when you take a bite because of the bacon. Basically, this is awesome. It would make a great appetizer year-round.
I had to make some modifications to the recipe based on what I had in the house. I didn’t have any sage, so I used oregano. And we were short on maple syrup so I subbed some honey for half of what the recipe needed. Be sure to check out the original recipe to see how it was originally written.
One Year Ago: Crockpot Cranberry Pork Roast
Two Years Ago: Depths of Fall Butternut Squash Pie
Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Butternut Squash
Yield: 3-4
Ingredients:
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 jalapeno chile, seeds and placenta removed.
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper cracked or ground fresh
1 lb butternut squash Cut into 1 in x 4 in sticks (that weight is post-processed)
1/2 lb bacon About 18-20 half-slices
Directions:
Bring maple syrup, honey, oregano, and jalapeno just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
For the butternut squash, preheat oven to 425F. Split each squash transversely at the beginning of the bulbous area where the seeds begin. Peel and cut the seedless end into 4-5 inch long sticks that are roughly a square inch thick. Wrap each squash stick with a half-strip of bacon and place on a wire rack nested in a pan (to catch the ensuing greasy mess). Season with the salt and pepper blend to taste.
Roast for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and brush liberally with the maple glaze. Roast for another 15 minutes, taking care to brush on more glaze at the 7.5 minute mark and finally as the squash comes out of the oven. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with any additional maple glaze.
Recipe from Something Edible
Boston area readers, don’t forget that I’m selling pies for Pie In the Sky. The cost of your pie will feed someone in need for an entire week! Please consider buying a pie for a good cause.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
this sounds really good-will be trying this!
This looks so tasty and easy to make! I need to get a crockpot.
I made that recipe last week – and everyone loved it! I only wish I’d gotten pictures…..
This looks wonderful. Bookmarking right now! Thanks!
Oh, boy this looks wonderful! I love slow cooker recipes like this. What side did you serve with it? Just veggies?
~ingrid
Both your cranberry recipes look great. I am hoping Santa brings me a new crockpot for Christmas as my previous one was nuclear. This recipe looks so easy. I am not a pie fan so am thinking the cranberry apple dessert would be nice for hubby and I for Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing!
Yep just some steamed veggies.
I made this over the weekend and it was delicious! Thanks for the posting!
I finally made this recipe after having it bookmarked forever. Thanks to Kelsey for reminding me about it – it was soooo good and it definitely hit the spot!!! Thanks Jen!
I make this every year for Christmas dinner 😀 We always go out for a fancy Christmas Eve dinner, and then we have a huge fancy Christmas Breakfast… by the time Christmas dinner comes around we are wiped out and not really in the mood to cook. This recipe is perfect because I can throw it all in the crock pot on Christmas Eve morning and pop in in the fridge. Then on Christmas day I put it on low and put wild rice in the rice cooker. My family always looks forward to it and we just love how delicious it is. I really wanted to let you know that this has been a tradition for us for about 3-4 years!! Thanks so much and Merry Christmas!!
beantownbaker — December 26th, 2013 @ 11:06 am
I love hearing stories like this! Family traditions are so heart warming during the holidays 🙂
Nice recipe – Thank you. I love slow cooker recipes. Have a Happy Weekend!