Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Sauce and Pistachios! Easy to prepare and bursting with flavor, this flavorful dish is sure to become a seasonal favorite.
Mouthwatering and comforting, get ready to fall in love with this Roasted Acorn Squash drizzled in maple sauce and pistachios. Imagine perfectly roasted acorn squash, their sweet and nutty flavor enhanced by a luscious maple sauce and topped with crunchy, earthy pistachios. Whether you’re planning a cozy family dinner or looking to impress your guests during the holidays, this recipe is the perfect addition to your table.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
We absolutely fell head over heels for this stunning autumn and winter holiday side dish, and we know you will too! With its vibrant color and comforting flavors, this recipe is not just a feast for the eyes but also a delightful addition to any festive table. You’ve got to give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Sauce and Pistachios features deliciously roasted acorn squash wedges topped with a tasty maple sauce and topped with crunchy pistachios. This is the perfect autumn/winter dish for holidays or every day!
- Acorn Squash Wedges: We cut the acorn squashes from stem to end; however, you can also cut them in rings if you prefer. Do not peel the acorn squashes. You can eat the skins. We cut each acorn squash into 8 wedges. Feel free to cut them into the desired number of wedges, adjust roasting time accordingly based upon size.
- Timing of the Acorn Squash in the Oven: The timing of the acorn squash tenderness is largely dependent upon the size of the squashes and the size of the wedges/slices. To check for tenderness, slide a knife into the thickest part of the wedge, if it slides in easily, it is done.
- Almond Butter Substitutions: You can substitute the almond butter with cashew butter or tahini (or other nut or seed butters) with the understanding that the flavor may be influenced accordingly.
- Texture of the Maple Sauce: We used almond butter for this recipe which tastes fabulous; however, some almond butters tend to show some very slight texture of almond bits in the almond butter. The Maple Sauce is definitely not chunky, but, depending on the brand used, it could have a very slight texture. If you wish for a super smooth Maple Sauce, consider placing the Maple Sauce in a high-speed blender (or mini-blender) and blending until smooth. However, blending in a high-speed blender is definitely not required.
- Pastry Brush: If you have a pastry brush on hand, use it to lightly glaze the acorn squashes; however, it is not required. You can easily use the back of a spoon to apply the glaze.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dish can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Almond Butter: We used Artisana Organics Raw Vegan Almond Butter. Feel free to use your favorite raw almond butter in this recipe. Read the label, make sure the only ingredient is raw almonds. Do not use a salted or sweetened almond butter.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Whisk (or fork)
- Large baking sheet (s)
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush (or spoon)
If you try this flavor dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Sauce and Pistachios
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 33 Minutes
- Total Time: 43 Minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Oven
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Mouthwatering and comforting, get ready to fall in love with this Roasted Acorn Squash drizzled in maple sauce and pistachios.
Ingredients
Acorn Squash Ingredients:
- 2 acorn squashes, seeded, cut lengthwise into wedges *
- Sprinkle sea salt *
- Sprinkle black pepper
Acorn Squash Glaze Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Maple Sauce Ingredients:
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup natural almond butter *
- ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch to ¾ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Other Ingredients:
- ¼ to ½ cup pistachios, rough chop *
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F, center rack position.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Cut the acorn squashes from stem to end lengthwise, scoop out the seeds. Then cut each half in half, then in half again until you have 8 slices (wedges) for each acorn squash, 16 slices (wedges) in total.
- Lay the acorn squash slices (wedges) onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet, very lightly sprinkle the cut sides with some sea salt and black pepper.
- Place the acorn squashes in a preheated 425 F oven for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the Acorn Squash Glaze by placing all the Acorn Squash Glaze Ingredients into a small bowl, whisk well, set aside.
- After 20 minutes, remove the acorn squash slices and very lightly glaze them on all cut sides with the Acorn Squash Glaze, place back in the oven for 8 minutes. [Note: flip them over so the other cut side is down on the parchment paper.]
- In the meantime, make the Maple Sauce by placing all the Maple Sauce Ingredients into a small bowl and whisk well until smooth and emulsified, set aside.
- After the 8 minutes have expired (28 minutes in total), remove the acorn squash slices from the oven, and flip them over, then lightly glaze all the cut sides with the Acorn Squash Glaze and return the acorn squash slices to the oven to roast for another 5 minutes (or until perfectly tender).
- After the acorn squash slices are perfectly tender, lay them on a serving platter, top by drizzling with some the Maple Sauce Glaze, while placing the remainder in a small bowl with a spoon for individual drizzling, and sprinkle with some roughly chopped pistachios. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: 6 to 8
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