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Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash (No Oil)

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Here’s a REALLY delicious way to prepare acorn squash. You could use this same method for preparing any fall/winter squash such as pumpkin or butternut squash. It’s about as easy as you could make any recipe and can be altered to make it your preferred way. There is a video demonstration below of how to make the dish, with the written recipe following that.

Enjoy!
Judi

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash (No Oil)

1 Acorn squash
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp maple syrup (or more to taste)
Ground cinnamon (or other seasoning if preferred)

Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle of the oven.

Wash the acorn squash, then cut off the stem end. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and strings with a spoon. Place the squash halves cut side down on a cutting board and slice them about ½ to ¾-inch thick with a sharp knife.

Place the sliced squash in a large bowl. Mix the water and maple syrup in a small bowl. Drizzle the liquid over the squash pieces. Sprinkle the squash with cinnamon. Toss the squash pieces with your hands to disburse the syrup water and seasoning.

Lay the seasoned squash slices on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roast them in your preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until they are fork-tender and caramelized. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.

Your roasted squash can be eaten with or without the peel. If desired, the peel can easily be removed by pulling it off with your fingers, or the squash pulp can be removed from the peel with a spoon.

Tips: If preferred, other seasoning can be used such as nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or allspice. Any sweetener of your choice can be used if preferred. More sweetener can also be used, but remember that the sugars in the squash and sweetener will be concentrated in the roasting process, so it may turn out sweeter than expected if you add too much!

Serving suggestion: Drizzle a little coconut milk over your roasted squash for a pudding-like dessert. Or simply enjoy it as it is for an easy side dish or even dessert. To dress it up, sprinkle the roasted squash with chopped nuts and even some chocolate chips, if desired! Get imaginative 🙂

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash (Sweet and Savory)

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This recipe for stuffed acorn squash is not only attractive, but it’s delicious too. It makes a wonderful side dish that would go with many types of meals. It can also make a nice main dish, perhaps with more nuts or seeds, or even beans added to it. Give it a try! The recipe is below the video links.

To see how to roast acorn squash (with no added oil), watch this video!

To see a video demonstration of this recipe, watch here…

Enjoy the recipe below!

I hope this helps!
Judi

Sweet and Savory Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash
Makes 6 Servings

3 acorn squash

Filling
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped bell pepper (green or red)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium apple, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
½ tsp salt, or to taste
3 cups cooked rice of choice
Optional garnish, fresh or dried parsley flakes

Roast squash
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and cut the squash in half from stem end to point. Scoop out the seeds and place the halves, cut side down on the parchment paper lined baking sheet (it is not necessary to oil the squash halves). Place baking sheet on oven rack in the middle of the oven and roast the squash for about 30 minutes, or until a knife easily pierces the squash. Remove from oven. [See note below]

Cook rice
You will need cooked rice for this dish. The rice may be cooked while the squash is roasting. Or, the rice may be cooked in advance and held in the refrigerator. If cooking it in advance, see the note below.

Prepare the stuffing
While the squash are roasting, prepare the stuffing. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and bell pepper until they begin to soften; add garlic. Sauté briefly, then stir in the chopped apple, cranberries, chopped pecans and salt. Allow the added ingredients to briefly heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked rice. Cover and set aside until the squash are done.

Fill the squash halves (when everything is hot and freshly cooked)
After the squash are roasted, remove them from the baking sheet and fill them with the hot, prepared filling. Top with optional garnish. Serve any extra filling on the side. Enjoy!

Fill the squash halves (when the squash and/or rice were precooked and are cold)
If the squash and/or rice were precooked and need to be reheated, place the filled roasted squash halves on a clean dry baking sheet or pan (parchment paper is not needed). Scoop filling into the squash halves. Follow reheating instructions in the note below. Top with optional garnish and serve.

If any filling is left and needs to be reheated, place it in a greased oven-safe bowl and cover it with foil. Place in oven at 375F or 400F for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until everything is heated through. Sprinkle with fresh or dried parsley flakes for optional garnish, if desired.

Reheating Note: The squash and/or rice may be cooked ahead of time and held in a covered container in the refrigerator. If doing this, stuff the cold squash with the prepared filling. Place the filled squash halves in a clean, dry baking dish and cover the dish with foil to help retain moisture. Place in oven at either 375F or 400F until heated through. The time will depend upon how cold the squash is and if the rice was also cooked in advance and is still cold.

About Judi
Julia W. Klee (Judi) began her journey enjoying “all things food” in elementary school when she started preparing meals for her family. That love of food blossomed into a quest to learn more and more about health and wellness as related to nutrition. She went on to earn a BS Degree in Food and Nutrition, then an MS Degree in Nutrition. She has taught nutrition and related courses at the college level to pre-nursing and exercise science students. Her hunger to learn didn’t stop upon graduation from college. She continues to research on a regular basis about nutrition as it relates to health. Her hope is to help as many people as possible to enjoy foods that promote health and wellness.

Oil Free Roasted Acorn Squash

No Oil Roasted Acorn Squash

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Here’s an EASY way to roast acorn squash without any oil or nonstick cooking spray. See the video demonstration below. Written directions follow the video. Enjoy!

I hope this helps!
Judi

No Oil Roasted Acorn Squash

Preheat oven to 400F.

Wash acorn squash and cut in half, either lengthwise (from stem end to the bottom point) or around the middle (the width area). If the squash halves will be stuffed and/or served by the halves and you also opt to cut around the width, cut a small amount off the bottom point of the squash first so the bottom half will sit upright after being cut. Also, cut off any amount of the stem needed so the top half will also sit flat after being roasted.

With a spoon, remove the seeds and discard them. Place the squash cut side down on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet. If you prefer to roast the squash without parchment paper, place them cut side down on a clean, dry baking sheet or glass baking dish. Place in preheated oven and roast for about 30 minutes*, or until a knife inserts easily through the skin into the flesh of the squash.

*Important note! If you are not using parchment paper, about 15 minutes into the baking time, remove the pan from the oven and move the squash around. They will be starting to stick. Moving them around will loosen them from the pan and the juices they release should prevent further sticking.