Few side dishes are better on a cool fall evening than roasted acorn squash sweetened with just a little honey and made even mellower with nutmeg and fresh sage leaves. When I catch a whiff of it coming from the oven, I feel warm and comforted, and you will, too.

　　

Ingredients

2 acorn squash (about 1 pound each)

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg

　　2 tablespoons honey

　　8 sage leaves, chopped

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Split the squash in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the squash halves into quarters and place in a mixing bowl, leaving the skin on the squash sections. Toss the squash with the olive oil, nutmeg, honey, and sage leaves. Lay the squash pieces, cut sides down, on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the squashflesh begins to turn golden brown and is tender. Season the squash with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 2

Arrange the squash on a serving platter.

　　From Art Smith's Healthy Comfort © 2013 by Art Smith. Reprinted with permission by Harper One, an imprint of HarperCollins PublishersBuy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.