Roasted acorn squash topped with ricotta and pomegranate seeds is about to be your new fav fall side dish!
If you’ve never roasted acorn squash before – you’re in for a treat! Squash is one of those vegetables that doesn’t require much work. Just roast it off and the natural flavors shine. It’s important to let squash really caramelize when roasting so those crispy bits bring out all the flavor.
Acorn squash can take on any number of flavor profiles – but for this one I went with a sweet topping of honey, nutmeg, ricotta and pomegranate seeds. It’s equal parts delicious and gorgeous!
When you’re roasting acorn squash, all you have to do it cut it into quarters, scoop out the seeds, place it onto a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast! It couldn’t be easier!
And to answer your question off the bat – can you eat the skin of an acorn squash – you sure can!! I do it all the time. And it’s actually one of the reasons I love cooking with acorn squash so much! No peeling needed! How’s that for a time saving tip!
How to cook acorn squash:
- Step 1: Wash the entire acorn squash and trim the ends off with a sharp knife
- Step 2: Carefully cut the squash in half from top to bottom.
- Step 3: Using a spoon, scoop out the insides of the squash and discard.
- Step 4: Slice each half into 2-3 pieces and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Step 5: Drizzle the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer into a 425 degree oven and roast.
- Step 6: Halfway through roasting, take the sheet pan out of the oven and flip the squash to make sure they are cooking evenly.
- Step 7: Remove the squash once they are fork tender and garnish with whatever you want and serve!
Pretty easy right? And while these Acorn Squash quarters are roasted to perfection and loaded up with some ricotta cheese, you could also swap out the ricotta for burrata! Or skip the cheese and drizzle with some extra herb infused melted butter! What more could you ask for in a simple side dish!? It’s one of those things that you’ll make once, and then again and again and again and again 🙂
PS – are you thinking of putting this on your Thanksgiving menu? Check out the full What’s Gaby Cooking menu here along with the master prep schedule to keep things organized and on track!
And if you need more Thanksgiving Ideas check out this roundup of 80+ Thanksgiving Recipes and Ideas
Roasted Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 whole acorn squash cleaned and quartered
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 8-10 ounces fresh ricotta (or buratta)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- Honey to drizzle
- freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Drizzle the squash with olive oil and arrange on a large roasting pan
- Transfer the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes, flipping halfway, until the squash is fork tender.
- Once out of the oven, place a dollop of ricotta or burrata in each of the squash quarters , sprinkle with equal amounts of the pomegranate seeds, drizzle with honey and top with freshly grated nutmeg. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Gaby’s roast acorn squash will be making its debut on our Thanksgiving table in just a few hours. I know it will be popular — maybe all the more so since it can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature, making it the ideal Thanksgiving vegetable! Another plus for our group is that we have an even split between vegetarians and turk-a-vores, and this is something special for the vegetarians..
This looks delicious! Roasted veggies are my favorite 🙂
Dani | http://www.styledvariety.com
Roasted acorn squash is nature’s candy! love that you paired it with ricotta too! creamy and sweet!
This looks delicious! What main dish would you pair it with?
Looks amazingly delicious recipe. Thank You for sharing <3
Hi, are the vegetables peeled? Thanks…
nope!
I love acorn squash, but never knew the skin could be eaten!! Game changer!
This side dish is SOOOOOO beautiful. This will definitely be on my menu this year. The pomegranate seeds are such a gorgeous finish!
Looks beautiful and sounds delicious! Would any of the goat cheeses go well with this?
yes! goat cheese would be great! or burrata!
This looks delicious! What main dish would you pair it with?
roasted chicken or turkey! or short ribs!
Can’t wait to make this Gaby and have promised it to my friends who do a collaborative Thxgiving with us. (I’m doint the turkey, too!)
It’s especially appropriate because, of the 8 of us, 5 are vegetarians, so it will be a special treat for them, but for the rest as well. Tonight I’m doing a dry run, just to test the process. We will certainly be lifting a glass full of thanks to you on Thursday!
Enjoy!!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious. Will definitely make again for Thanksgiving.
Thanks Gabby!
Hi GABY! Looking forward to making your thanksgiving meal. Can I make the acorn squash the night before and reheat? Will that suck? Reheating advice? Thank you much! P.S. Mexico picture killing me slowly…want a taco and margarita so badly now.
you sure can – just make them today, and reheat in the oven at 350 tomorrow for about 15-20 minutes!
Any suggestions for roasting the squash in advance and reheating day of?
Thanks!!!
roast it today, and reheat in a 350 degree oven until warm the next day!
I made this for Thanksgiving last week and all I can say is ~IT’S SO GOOD! I loved the blend of flavors and the crunch of the pomegranate seeds was a perfect ending. I kind of goofed up cooking the squash (don’t ask) so I ended up scooping it out of the skin and making individual ramekins. It was a big hit .
Thanks Gaby
Pomegranate is so delicious. It goes well with everything
Where do you find pomegranate seeds?
Trader Joes / Whole Foods / Safeway / Ralphs… all of the main stores should start carrying them around this time. You can either buy them whole in a pomegranate, or already removed in a package in the refrigerated section
Love, love, love finding ways to use Acorn squash. This sounds absolutely delicious!
This is beautiful! Question: do you salt/pepper the squash before roasting? Or is that to finish off the ricotta at the end… I see it mentioned in the ingredients but not the directions. Thanks!
I do it before cooking and after too to finish
I love acorn squash, but have one question for you. How do you select a good one? I find the flavor to be highly variable from one acorn to the next. Some are so sweet and flavorful and the next one will be bland. Thoughts? Thanks Gaby!
tough to say – I try and buy the heaviest one so it’s the most dense/flavorful
Hi Gaby, could I use kabocha squash instead of acorn?
I will make this today to accompany my Thanksgiving leftovers. Something tells me, a drizzle of honey blanketing the pomegranate seeds that are nestled into the ricotta just seems so right!
Ridiculous flavor and the pomegranate seeds are the secret weapon! Beyond delish!