Maple Baked Squash and Apples Recipe (Vegan)

I grew up eating my Mom's baked acorn squash "boats" with brown sugar and butter, and it was one of my favorite side dishes. My brother and I used to scope out the squash boat with the most brown sugar and claim it before the other one did. In my family, I still make the squash boats occasionally, but with olive oil and salt (instead of the butter) and brown sugar. The problem is that Sam will usually only eat the brown sugar with a minimal amount of squash. So I created this dish using either acorn squash or butternut squash and an apple, with olive oil, salt, and maple syrup because it's easier to eat and it's guaranteed with this dish that Sam will eat more squash and apple than sugar. The apples add an "apple pie filling" flavor to the dish that I especially love.

Maple Baked Squash and Apples Recipe

1 acorn squash or small butternut squash
1 medium-sized crisp apple like a Fuji or Honeycrisp
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x12 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the squash into sections, scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon, and remove the shell, leaving just the squash meat. Cut the squash pieces into 1 inch squares and add them to the pan. Peel and core the apple and cut the apple pieces into 1 inch squares like the squash, and add them to the pan distributing them among the squash. Drizzle olive oil over the squash and apples, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next drizzle pure maple syrup over everything, like you did the olive oil. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Serves 4 as a side dish.