Whether you are counting calories or looking for something new to try, these baked sriracha butternut squash fries will make you look at regular french fries in a whole different way.

I am always looking for new and healthy ways to incorporate more vegetables to my diet, and since I love the idea of making friench fries out of vegetables, this was the perfect snack for me to try out.

For all of you who are looking for a healthy snack to indulge your craving for fries, according to ohmyveggies.com, butternut squash is not only low in calories, but it is also high in fiber, beta carotene, potassium and also has both vitamin C and vitamin B6. Most importantly, they have more nutrients than your typical fast food french fries.

The combination of Sriracha sauce with the butternut squash creates a spicy and sweet flavor in the fries. If you don’t like Sriracha sauce, feel free to use any type of hot sauce you like.

This recipe was adapted from ohmyveggies.com.

Butternut Sriracha Fries:

1 tbsp peanut, vegetable, canola or any other non-flavored oil

1 tsp Sriracha sauce

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into evenly-sized steak fries.

1 tsp of salt for taste

Rinse off the outside of the butternut squash under cold water for a few seconds. Dry off and place it on a clean cutting board.

Peel the squash and slice it down the middle. Spoon out the seeds in the middle.

Take each half and cut the ends off. Slice the squash widthwise about ¼ -inch thick, which will make the slices look like steak fries.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Mix together oil and Sriracha sauce in a large bowl then incorporate the butternut squash fries to the same bowl to toss and coat. If you mix everything with your hands, the fries will get thoroughly coated.

Pour the fries onto a baking sheet and arrange them into a single layer. Sprinkle salt onto the fries.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. During the cooking process, carefully flip fries over using a spatula and sprinkle more salt on the other side. Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the squash is tender and lightly browned.

Serve immediately with your favorite burger or as a healthy afternoon snack.

Jane Park can be reached at [email protected]