Thursday, October 18, 2012

Roasted Delicata Squash

A couple of weeks ago, we ended up with a new vegetable that I'd never seen before. I was a bit slow to get around to cooking it since I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. After a few days though, I decided that I better cook it up if I didn't want it to go bad.

Sean took one bite of the Delicata Squash at dinner that night and said, "Are you going to blog about this?!"

I took a bite, "Whoa! Yes, I am!"

Folks, this is an incredible vegetable! So good that my family can eat three of these as a side for one meal. So sweet and simple and easy. You absolutely must get your hands on one of these and give it a try!

I'm serious. Go put this on your grocery list right now. You will come back and thank me!

These pretty little squash are in season right now. Some have green stripes and some have orange stripes. Very autumn-y!

Delicata Squash

Delicata Squash have a thin, edible skin, so no need to peel these! Just give them a quick rinse and you are ready to go!

Slice the squash into wheels about 1/2 inch thick.

Scoop out the seeds in the middle. I find the easiest way to do this is to hold a wheel in my left hand and use a spoon to quickly twist the seeds out into a bowl. It's very easy to do and a spoon is the perfect size to twist the seeds out!

Squash with Seeds 

Squash without Seeds

Slice and scoop your way through as many Delicata Squash as your family will eat. This recipe is incredibly low in calories and so tasty...make sure you cook enough!

Take a big pan and lightly brush it with olive oil or spray it with non-stick cooking spray. You don't need a ton as you aren't frying the squash. Just use enough to keep it from sticking.

Spread your squash wheels out on the pan. I ended up needing two pans for all of the squash that I was cooking.

Also, you can see where one pan has foil and the other doesn't. I wanted to see if foil would make a big difference in how easily I could flip the squash and clean the pan when I was done. Turns out, it doesn't make a big difference with this recipe.

Lightly brush your squash wheels with olive oil, and then salt and pepper to taste.

Roast in a preheated 425 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. About 10-15 minutes into the roasting time, flip your squash over so that the other side can caramelize a bit. Your best bet to flip them is to use a spatula instead of tongs. Delicata Squash = Delicate Squash. Get it? :)

That's it! That's all this veggie needs to bring out the amazing flavor!

I'm always asked after posting a recipe, "Do your kids really eat that?" Our kids love these!  Since they are so soft, sweet, and the perfect finger food, I just hand a few wheels to the kids and let them go to town! Even Abby thoroughly enjoys these! No leftovers at our house!



I hope you give this a try! It's not something I ever would have picked up on my own, but this was in one of our last CSA bags of the summer, and I didn't want it to go to waste. Turns out it was one of the very best items in the entire CSA program! Thank goodness these little specialties are in season for awhile longer because my family can't get enough of them!

Have you tried Delicata Squash before? How do you prepare it?

7 comments:

  1. I am literally adding this to my shopping list RIGHT NOW! Just wanted you to know! :) And boy, do I hope my toddler likes it as well as yours.

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  2. Thats looks yummy. Anyway, I'm your new follower from the That Friday Blog Hop. Would love if you can return the favor. Have a great day!

    http://www.akachymecindy.com

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  3. This post made me hungry. Those look so good. I'll just bring our kids over to your place next time you make them...so there can be eight toddlers munching on delicata squash ; 0 ). That would be fun. I will have to try your recipe. It looks absolutely delicious.

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    Replies
    1. Lol! Eight toddlers, can you imagine?? But I know they would all love it! I hope you give it a try!

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  4. Wow, I've never even *heard* of this squash, but it looks yummy! Thanks for the info!

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