Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette



I have never made acorn squash before now - I don't know why. I've seen some great looking recipes and blog posts about it, but never have gotten around to trying it for myself. We got this recipe from a Gourmet Today cookbook that Michael's mom gave me for Christmas. We've made quite a few of recipes out of it and they all have been delicious - 5 stars worthy, really. We'll be posting a lot more from it soon! Anyways, this recipe is great. The vinaigrette topping is very powerful, so you only need a little to drizzle. We served the squash with a pork in chili tomato sauce - which is why it looks kind of soupy in the background. We'll be posting the pork recipe soon!

I always roast the seeds of pumpkins and butternut squash, so thought, what the heck, I'll try it with the acorn squash. Delicious! I hate letting things go to waste. Just save the seeds, rinse them, and top with a spritz of olive oil, a shake of salt, and broil for about 15 minutes. Watch them closely so they don't burn, and then you have a great treat to tide you over till dinner!

Ingredients

  • 2 acorn squash
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile (about 1/2 a chile), including seeds
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds (save if you're roasting them!) and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges.
  2. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.
  3. While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, chile (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic veggie dish....I'll be making this one soon! Bookmarked!
Another great recipe, thanks guys!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

What lovely acorn squash. I'm always on the lookout for recipes for them. I'm bookmarking this. Thanks.
Sam

Chef E said...

That sounds great, the sweet and nuttiness with the chili! Funny how we make so much food, write so many post, but no time to post them all right?

I have to balance and make squash again soon!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

that sounds great... love squash

Joanne said...

This looks amazing! I love acorn squash. Totally bookmarked.

Tasty Trix said...

I love acorn squash, I'd definitely give this a try, yum!

grace said...

although there are other varieties that i enjoy more, i do like the acorn squash. your simple seasoning here is perfect for my tastes!

Chef Jeena said...

This is the kind of food that I love, looks so tasty!

Velva said...

Roasted acorn squash is delicious. So glad you took the leap and discovered this great squash. You roasted the seeds too-Impressive!!! I need to rethink when I am scooping out seeds. It never occurred to me to roast them. Thanks for the idea!

Nicole, RD said...

Wow! That looks fantastic!!

Anonymous said...

How did you know, I bought acorn squash, yesterday? Yep, and now I have a new recipe to make it with.

Kathleen said...

This sounds really great. Perfect combo!

Cakebrain said...

Oooh, it looks delicious! I love roasted squash! It's the only way I make squash anyway! I love to bake the seeds too. We have to fight our parrot for them now!

Erica said...

Isn't acorn squash just amazing? It is my favorite squash! There is so much you can do with it- love the dressing on top. Hope you guys are doing well! Happy (almost) Valentine's Day!!

Barbara said...

I make acorn squash a lot but just use my mother's old recipe of salt, pepper and a little butter. Can't wait to try yours- it'll be nice and spicy!

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