I love butternut squash. To me, it’s the ultimate harvest flavor. Like the Christmas tree is to Christmas, the butternut squash is to the fall. It’s savory, it’s sweet, it’s delish. If you don’t know what to do with it, try my vegan roasted butternut squash soup!

Now, on to the star of the blog post. The acorn squash! I have walked past this squash hundreds of times and never noticed it. In my mind, I think I thought it was just a funny pumpkin meant for decoration. Turns out, it’s sweet like the butternut, stringy like the spaghetti squash (also a fave!) and perfect for a killer presentation.

*RGK tip: These babies are hard to cut in half, but if you bat your eyelashes and ask the butcher nicely, they will usually cut them in half for you*

 

What you need:

Acorn Squash

1/2 cup of chopped toasted walnuts (sprinkle the walnuts on a baking sheet and brown under the broiler)

Fresh Sage

Olive Oil

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 cup of brown sugar, stick of melted butter, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of coriander, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg

 

How to:  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the top off, cut in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Place cut side up in to a glass baking dish, drizzle with (1/2 the stick) butter and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake till soft or about 40 minutes.

 

Fried sage: Heat a skillet to med heat. Add 1 tsp of olive oil, place sage leaves in pan once it’s hot, brown both sides and then lay them flat on paper towels. This sage is not to be missed – it really makes this dish. Make a lot, you will be happy you did!

Finally, once the squash is soft, drizzle the remaining 1/2 stick of melted butter, brown sugar and spice mixture over the squash. Place back in the oven or under broiler to get them nice and brown.

Top with walnuts and fried sage!

 

 

Enjoy!

xo HD