Roasted Acorn Squash
Well, the acorn squash got me. I was in the grocery store the other day looking for a good rib-eye and some mushrooms, and I spotted a pile of acorn squash just waiting for someone, ANYONE, to come and pick one. Not only did I pick one up, I brought it home with me. And I’m sorry acorn squash, but my family is going to gobble you up.
My family eats a lot of squash throughout the year. From zucchini, to yellow squash to delicata to patty-pan to pumpkin (yes, it’s a squash), to butternut squash, and now to acorn squash. You’ll start seeing these wonderful, ginormous looking acorns in your local grocery store as the year progresses into the colder months. Technically speaking, acorn squash is what’s called a winter squash. So, how do you cook these wonderfully ginormous looking acorns? Well, there’s a lot of ways really, but today let’s discuss my favorite method: roasting them.
Let’s get started. Wait! Before we do that, let’s discuss cutting this bad boy open. Acorn squash have a hard exterior and a mushy, slippery interior, so mom’s and dad’s, you need to do this part. With that out of the way, let’s cut.
Careful of those fingers!
Step one is to cut this squash in half. Get one of your larger all purpose knives, and pierce the skin with the tip. Direction is important here. You should be piercing the skin from stem to stern; basically from top to bottom. Don’t cut from side to side (at least not for this recipe). Once you have the tip of the knife in, start slowing working it all the way through and down. When you’re done, the stem itself should be the only thing holding the two halves together. At this point, you can either pull them apart with a little bit of elbow grease, or use a smaller knife to carve around the stem.
Step two. This is where the kids can join in. Grab a big spoon, and have them start carving out those seeds and all of the pulpy string attaching them to the inner part. This part of the process is a little slippery, so you can help the little ones out by holding each half firm while they scoop.
Step three. Add some butter along with your favorite toppings and then roast. Yeah, it’s pretty much that simple. But as simple as this dish is, don’t let that fool you into thinking roasted acorn squash isn’t as yummy as all get out. Because it is.
And that’s it, well except how you want to dress it after its roasted. I like the taste of it with just salt and butter, but some of your kids might appreciate a bit of brown sugary goodness sprinkled all over. My oldest daughter loves herself some apple pie, so I will caramelize one apple and spoon that into one half; oh who am I kidding, I’ll eat it that way too. Check out all of the variations listed in the recipe itself to make this dish your own.
Roasted Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 1 medium acorn squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
- Kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
- Cut the squash in half from stem to tip. Using a large chef’s knife, pierce the skin on one side and cut straight through until the knife goes through the middle. Continue cutting around the acorn, through the tip, ending up on the other side of the stem. At the point, pry each half apart from one another to make two halves.
- Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits inside, and discard.
- Place the acorn squash halves cut-side up in a roasting pan or a baking sheet with a rim. Drizzle each half with either the olive oil or butter and use your fingertips to rub it all over the inside of the squash.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste then place in the oven and roast 50 to 60 minutes. It will be done when you can pierce a knife through the skin easily.
- Remove from the oven, and serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Butter and brown sugar
- Cranberries
- Caramelized apples
- Honey or maple syrup
- Cinnamon or chili powder
- Pecans or walnuts
- Parmesan or goat cheese