Description
If you haven’t tried it yet, pomegranate juice makes a clever culinary liquid, not just a beverage — and it’s delightful in this pomegranate-smashed butternut squash recipe. Serve this up just like you might mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes for a scrumptious change of taste—-and to punch up gorgeousness on your plate.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 grams) butternut squash cubes (about 3/4-inch cubes)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) 100% pomegranate juice, like POM Wonderful
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils (seeds)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Add the butternut squash cubes to 1½-quart-capacity baking dish. (Hint: Buy squash already cubed!) Drizzle with the oil. Toss to coat. Add the pomegranate juice, salt, and pepper. Cover dish well with foil.
- Roast in the oven until the squash is fork-tender, about 50 minutes. Carefully remove the foil.
- Smash the butternut squash in baking dish with a potato masher. Stir well. Adjust seasoning.
- Sprinkle with the chives and pomegranate arils to serve.
Notes
- Rather than milk, maple syrup, or other mashing liquids, this recipe features pomegranate juice (Hint: An in vitro study at UCLA found that POM Wonderful 100-percent pomegranate juice has more antioxidant potency than red wine, Concord grape juice, or green tea, on average.)
- To keep the recipe heart-friendly and vegetarian, olive oil rather than butter is used here.
- Fresh chives and pomegranate arils offer punched up flavor and interest.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Side-dish
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup each
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 7g includes 0g added sugars
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
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