Festive Roasted Acorn Squash
Pomegranate arils add a festive touch to this roasted acorn squash. It’s an easy to make side dish that will dazzle a crowd, not to mention yourself, every time.
Winter Squash
I absolutely love all the different squashes of fall! Butternut squash is a classic and so versatile. Delicata squash is ultra-easy as you can eat the skin. A new one in my farm share this fall was buttercup squash.
While I love them all, the shape of the acorn squash lends itself some serious eye-appeal! Whether you cut it in half and bake it as in this Freekeh-Stuffed Squash or slice those halves into 1/2-inch thick pieces as in this recipe, it’s just so pretty! You could even cut off each end, deseed the middle and slice it for flower shapes!
All of these winter squashes are also loaded with nutrients. Acorn squash provides vitamins, A, C, and B6 as well as iron, magnesium, and many more nutrients. Adding pomegranates further ups the nutritional profile and adding some nutty pumpkin seeds and olive oil adds healthy fats! Cheers to that!
Simple Cooking
So I seem to be the queen of simple recipes these days, or perhaps that is just the way I operate in my kitchen: the simpler the better! One key to simple cooking is using high quality, fresh ingredients. Another key is applying your instincts when it comes to seasoning with the basics such as salt and pepper, herbs, spices, and sweeteners. (With baking, on the other hand, it’s better to stick to the ingredients as listed until you are familiar enough to start making your own edits).
So here is my festive squash recipe. (And if your kids aren’t tempted by this beauty, don’t worry about it…more on that in an upcoming post!)
- 1 acorn squash
- 1 tablespoon olive, grapeseed, or organic canola oil + extra for greasing baking sheet
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
- ½ pomegranate, arils only
- ½ cup pea shoots or microgreens
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Carefully slice acorn squash in half. Remove seeds and then cut both halves into ½-inch slices.
- Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet or spray with nonstick spray. Arrange acorn squash onto the sheet.
- Combine olive oil and honey in a small ramekin. Brush top sides with the olive oil and honey mixture and then sprinkle with sea salt.
- Roast for 10-15 minutes and then flip and top with pumpkin seeds. Roast for another 5-10 minutes, until starting to brown and soft when pierced.
- Arrange on a platter and top with the pomegranate and greens just before serving.
Leave a Reply