Bay Leaf and Thyme-Scented Roasted Winter Squash and Garlic

It's hard for me to tire of roasted butternut squash as a side dish this time of year - it's just a question of varying the flavors that accompany the squash! Recently, I roasted squash with red peppers and rosemary. Tonight, pride of place goes to garlic and thyme.

In a large bowl, combine 5 cups of peeled and cubed butternut squash (make the cubes between 1 inch and 2 inches big), 1 and 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, 6 unpeeled garlic cloves, 4 thyme sprigs, and 3 bay leaves. Toss to coat.

Arrange the squash mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring at about the 20 minute mark.

Discard the thyme and bay leaves, and place about 1 cup of squash on each of 3 plates. Squeeze the garlic cloves to extract the pulp over the squash before eating for a taste that's divine. Each serving is 140 calories.

Cost:
butternut squash $5.36
garlic $0.42
thyme $3.59