Roasted Acorn Squash

Roasted acorn squash is a delicious side dish. Its flesh is mildly sweet and super creamy. Enjoy it lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, or give your baked acorn squash a twist by adding some coconut sugar and herbs. It’s a great starter for making stuffed acorn squash recipes as well!

Oven Roasted Acorn Squash

Acorn squash are one of my favorite winter side dishes. They are simple to prepare, and bake until sweet and creamy. I am super simple with how I dress up my squash – avocado oil, salt and pepper is all I need. But I will share ideas on how to make them more flavorful, if you like some variations!

Winter squashes are a great sources of healthy carbs. They are lower in carbs than other options, like potatoes, lower in calories, and bursting with nutrition, like fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium.

Use them as a base to add a stuffing mixture into, top them with a meat sauce, or even fill them with some salad greens and other crunchy vegetables. Whatever you do, you’re sure to love this flavorful vegetable!

Grab yourself:

• Acorn squash (or two!)
• Avocado oil (olive oil works also, but avocado oil is better for high temperature roasting)
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Optionally, add:

• Fresh herbs are optional
• Coconut sugar adds an extra pop of sweetness! (many people use brown sugar)
• Cinnamon and ginger powder are great flavor boosters, too!

If you love winter squashes, try these other varieties as well:

• How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
• How to Cook Delicata Squash

How to Cook Acorn Squash

Step 1: Cut the squash in half, and remove the seeds and pith with a spoon.

Step 2: Add the squash halves to a baking tray, with the flesh side up, and rub them with avocado oil. Season them generously with salt and pepper, and add coconut sugar, herbs, or spices, if choosing to use.

Step 3: Bake the squash at 400º F for 40 minutes. The flesh will begin to brown and will be soft enough to easily scoop it with a spoon.

Tips for Baking Winter Squashes

Squashes vary in size, so if you know in general if your squash is smaller than typical or larger, adjust the baking time by 5 or 10 minutes. Acorn squash are fairly uniform in size, so most likely you won’t have to adjust the baking time.

Dress it up: To the basic recipe, you can also add butter and brown sugar (I use coconut sugar), and even cinnamon and ginger powder. If you’d like to enjoy the natural sweetness, you can opt to just add some herbs, like thyme.

Make Soup: If you want to make a delicious acorn squash soup, simply add this squash to a mix of onions, garlic, and vegetable broth, and puree it. I always roast my squash before making soup to make it easier to remove from the peel and to deepen the sweet flavor.

Stuff it: Use the squash halves as little boats for whatever you’d like to add – you can use a sausage stuffing, spaghetti sauce, or roasted chickpeas and vegetables. I even fill mine with green salad and a vinaigrette sometimes.

Other Winter Squash Recipes

• Holiday Spinach Salad with Delicata Squash
• Spaghetti Squash Boats
• Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Baked Butternut Casserole

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