Constant inspiration is one of my favorite things about food. It takes one bite to take you down a road you might not have explored before. This is one of the reasons I’m always game to try something. You never know what will ignite your next love.
Those are strong words for a recipe about squash but I mean it. On a harvest in October, a restaurant catered lunch in the grove. The location was ace but it was the first dish they brought out that put it over the top. Roasted delicata squash smothered with a whipped butter. It was magical and everything I wanted in one bite. This recipe is a nod to that dish.
This recipe is the perfect companion on your holiday table. It’s minimal on ingredients but the overall flavor has a big impact. Of course, you don’t have to wait for your holiday meal to enjoy this dish- I’ve happily eaten this for dinner on a few occasions!
Of all the winter squash, I lean towards using delicata more often than not. It’s a versatile little squash that requires no peeling and tends to be a bit more quick cooking compared to other varieties. Delicata works well as a side, like in this recipe but I love it in tacos, on top of pizza, and stuffed.
Pistachios are not usually my go-to nut but this side dish was inspired by a recent meal I had that featured something similar with delicata/butter/pistachios. I loved how the pistachio flavor melded with the roasted delicata squash.
I know pistachios are a bit on the expensive side, especially shelled. This roasted squash would also work well with toasted pecans or walnuts. You could also swap out the pistachios for pumpkin seeds. This would keep the beautiful green pop of color.
It’s probably pretty obvious if you look at my recipes but I’m obsessed with adding crushed red pepper to things. I love a bit of heat to my meals and this honey delicata squash is no different. However, you don’t necessarily need it. You could also add a sprinkle of aleppo pepper (also borrowed from the aforementioned side dish I had).
ahh i love nugget!! visited a friend in davis and she knew how much i would love it (i did), so she made sure we stopped there for snacks.
pistachios yes, a perfect compliment to this, for texture alone, wonderful recipe, thank you
Fantastic! I've made this 3x in the last 2 months. It's delicious. I only use 1 T of honey - I think 2 would make it too sweet. I can't recommend this dish highly enough!
The recipe is spot-on! I have recommended to friends and they love it as well. Works well as a side dish.