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This easy roasted acorn squash recipe is a flavorful, colorful, and nutritious side that goes with everything! You’ll love how easy it is to make this attractive veggie option.
For more delicious veggie sides, be sure to try my maple roasted carrots and these easy and quick instant pot creamy brussels sprouts. They make a delicious addition to any meal.
Do you love winter squash? I do, too! Butternut squash is great, especially in soup, casseroles, and other dishes with character. But I also like simple roasted squash and smaller squashes like delicata and acorn are perfect for that. This basic method for prepping and roasting acorn squash is a great example of a baked acorn squash recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Acorn Squash Recipe
- Easy + gorgeous: This simple roasted acorn squash recipe makes a gorgeous and easy side dish! With its dark green rind and pale yellow-gold flesh, the finished product is almost too pretty to eat.
- Perfect for holidays: Because the end result is so gorgeous, this recipe feels festive without being fussy. I love to make it for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Flavorful: The tender acorn squash flesh is slightly nutty with the perfect amount of seasoning from garlic, oregano, thyme and paprika.
Recipe Ingredients
This easy, basic recipe consists essentially of squash, butter, and seasonings. You’ll love how simple it is to prepare roasted acorn squash on the fly. Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list.
- Squash – Cut an acorn squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.
- Butter– Melt the butter, or substitute your favorite cooking oil, like olive oil or avocado oil.
- Oregano and Thyme – Dried oregano and thyme are perfect with the natural sweetness of squash.
- Garlic Powder – Garlic powder is an easy way to add intensity of flavor to this dish. Try not to use fresh garlic because it may burn.
- Paprika – Made from dried ground peppers, paprika is earthy and mild but not spicy and lends a beautiful color to the squash as it roasts.
- Salt and Black Pepper – Enhances the overall flavor of the squash slices.
- Fresh Parsley – Chopped fresh parsley is an appetizing optional garnish.
How to Make Roasted Acorn Squash
Acorn squash recipes are a dime a dozen, but this recipe stands out because it’s not sweet like most. It’s also super easy to double if you need to make more servings.
- Preheat the oven and cut the squash. Before you start, make sure to preheat the oven to 400°F. Next, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, stem end to pointed end. (For the easiest way to cut through squash rind see the “Tips” section below.) Then slice each squash half into ½ inch-thick slices.
- Season the acorn squash. Arrange the squash slices on a baking sheet. Make the seasoned butter mixture by melting the butter and stirring in the herbs, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Brush the squash slices with the butter mixture.
- Roast. Roast the seasoned squash for 20 minutes or so until the squash is tender.
- Enjoy! Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and garnish the squash with parsley before serving warm.
Recipe Tips And Variations
So, that’s it! Perfect roasted acorn squash, pretty enough for a holiday menu but easy enough to make any time. Want to know more? Check out these easy tips!
- Cutting Made Easy: A really simple way to soften the squash rind for cutting is to microwave it for a couple of minutes. Poke some holes in the rind, and then microwave for two to three minutes. Lift it out of the microwave with oven mitts, and carefully continue to cut the squash with a sharp knife.
- Tweak the Seasonings: Feel free to play with the seasoning blend. Italian seasoning is delicious, or you could go with cracked black pepper with a hint of rosemary. Use what you love!
- Make It Sweet: Add a bit of maple or brown sugar for a sweet twist!
- Cut It Your Way: Half an acorn squash makes a perfect serving size for one, so feel free to cut the squash in halves rather than slices for easy prep. (The halves may need to bake longer than slices.)
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this easy roasted acorn squash recipe with anything, from a green goddess salad to steak and eggs to a full Christmas dinner. It’s a traditional holiday feast favorite that pairs perfectly with glazed ham. Speaking of which, you can’t miss my slow cooker ham – it’s incredibly easy to make!
Mashed potatoes are a classic favorite, but also a low-carb champ is a delicious alternative to potatoes, especially when you make instant pot mashed cauliflower. And for a family fave, you can’t go wrong with dinner rolls or these orange glazed dinner rolls, which are lightly sweet, soft, and perfect for the holiday season.
Common Questions
It depends on who you ask! Acorn squash rind tends to be harder and less appetizing than delicata and is not usually eaten. However, some acorn squash enthusiasts do eat the rind if it is cut small. It’s up to you! I, personally, do not like the rind.
Like butternut, delicata, and other winter squash, acorn squash has a wholesome, mildly sweet taste that goes really well with all kinds of flavors, from garlic to maple syrup.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- To refrigerate leftovers, place in airtight food storage containers or zip-top bags. Acorn squash will stay good in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- To freeze, remove the squash from the rind using a sharp knife. Discard the rind and freeze the squash in freezer bags, pressing out as much air as possible before sealing. It will keep for several months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat, bake at 400°F until heated through. You can also microwave leftovers for a minute or so at a time, until hot.
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Roasted Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 1 large acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise, and seeded.
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, and take out the seeds.
- Slice each acorn squash half into ½-inch thick slices.
- Transfer the squash slices to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside.
- Melt the butter.
- Add the oregano, thyme, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to the melted butter and stir well to combine.
- Brush the squash slices with the butter mixture.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender and cooked through.
- Remove from oven. Taste the acorn squash slices for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
We loved this! Being on a keto diet this tasted like Thanksgiving stuffing to me and will be a on our table for the holiday! Thank you!
I’m so happy you loved it! It’s awesome that it fits into your keto diet and brings that Thanksgiving vibe. Perfect for the holiday table! Thank YOU! 😊🦃
Blah. Bland
Used cooking spray instead of butter to cut the calories- Also air fried for 15 min PERFECT! Glad this isn’t another sweet recipe! I like sweet! Just not all the time
Loved this roasted option. We really don’t care for the sugary version and this was so much better. I was raised eating squash, husband not, so if he liked it, that says something!
That’s great! I’m very happy everyone enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
A great alternative to the brown sugar/maple recipes for acorn squash. Just harvested a ton of white acorns and the sweet version doesn’t always go with the rest of the menu. It reminded us of plantain almost. So simple, thank you!
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
We really enjoyed this! It was easy to eat……once cooked the shell/outside just peeled off. Kids liked it because they picked it up and ate it like watermelon. LOL. It’s easy to make and I thought looked very pretty with the scalloped edges.
I’m very glad you and your family enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I prepared this and it is absolutely delicious no gasses feeling like what your get from potatoes, but a delicious meal with bake chicken or roasted chicken chicken, with a nice green salad.
Super quick, easy, and flavorful way to prepare acorn squash. Made this last night as a side dish and my husband was licking the seasoning off the pan, he enjoyed it so much! Will definitely be making this again!
That’s great to hear! I’m very glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
don’t make this!! it ruined the yummy yummy flavor of the squash and took away its sweetness. instead of adding savory ingredients, add sweeter ones like syrup or sugar. this was my first time eating squash so i didn’t know what to expect and after taking the first bite i thought i didn’t like squash, but after wiping the seasoning off it tasted much better
My husband always says “Each to their own said the man as he kissed the cow!” Meaning captain obvious says from the ingredient list this is a SAVORY recipe- I’ve ate a ton of squash and sweet recipes are a dime a dozen! Squash is one of those vegetables that can go both ways! Its October so nows a good time to try some different ones since you said that was your first time eating it! Btw I love sweet! Husband prefers savory so he loved this!! Learning to compromise has kept me married 30 years. A+ SAVORY RECIPE! I used cooking spray instead of butter and cut the fat and calories