The surprise success of the garden this year was acorn squash, for two reasons. One is that I seldom have much success with squash, what with fighting squash bugs, borers, and beetles. The other reason is that I didn’t plant any acorn squash. HA!
So what to do with all the unbidden, volunteer squashes? I was a little tired of the cut-in-half-cinnamon-baked standard, so I tried roasting it and we all agreed it was outstanding. And when you know where it came from, eating the peel and all is just a pleasure.
Roasted Acorn Squash with Raisins and Cumin
2 acorn squash, cut into cubes, about 1 to 1 1/2 inch
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin (or more if you are addicted to cumin like I am)
1/3 cup raisins
generous pinch red pepper flakes
salt to taste
Toss the cubes of squash with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
Spread out into an oiled baking pan, preferably in a single layer, or close to it.
Bake at 350 degrees F. until the squash is tender and beginning to brown a bit on the edges, about 30-40 minutes, depending on the heat of your oven.
Sounds great…I think I may try roasting squash…is there much of a taste difference with acorn squash??
This sounds delicious! And very good on timing because acorn squash is on sale this week. I’m not very fond of raisins, though. Do you know of anything that would be a good substitute for them? Craisins, maybe? Hmm…
Oh my goodness…this sounds delicious! I would not have thought to mix raisins and cumin but I bet it’s amazing! I am cracking up that you didn’t even plant acorn squash…that makes me think of the most abundant plant in my garden…the birdhouse gourd…and I can’t even EAT it! Gardening is all about the irony, isn’t it?!
Sounds delish! Dont u luv when things pop up that u didnt plant! Its always a nice suprise!
Thanks for the recipe. I had some acorn squash on hand and gave it a try. Very good.
I have similar luck with squash. If I plant it there’s a good chance it won’t survive, but squash plants spring up all over where I didn’t plant them, and those thrive and bear well.
YES!!!! Sounds absolutely heavenly. shanks for the recipe.
Sounds delish, can’t wait to try it.
One question tho, I have never in my life heard of any one eating the skin of a winter squash(acorn, pumpkin, butternut etc.). I thought it was supposed to be completely in inedible! I have roasted squash with the skin on before, but we always remove it before eating, You really ate the skin with no mishaps??? Interesting!
Tanya Walton– Compared to summer squash it’s the texture that is different, more dense, less water content. The taste is sweeter, too, I think.
Adica–Craisins would be great, or chopped dried apricots or peaches, too.
Michelle–Yes, it’s got a mind of it’s own sometimes. I have a huge gourd vine and only one gourd. I keep looking for more, but that one may be it.
Kira–It was a nice surprise, especially since the squash I did plant didn’t do much!
Kimberly–Great! Glad you liked it!
Thea–Aha! Maybe that’s what happened. I’ll just keep chucking squash seeds in the compost and hope for the best.
lorrwill–Hope you like it!
katklaw–We may be a little on the fringe about this, but we love the skin. It ranges from tender to a little bit chewy, which I like, not a tough chewy, but a good chewy. It may be because the squash is relatively fresh, not long in storage. Of course we also eat sweet potatoes, skin and all, etc., so some people might think we’re a little crazy.
Good to know I’m not the only one with cumin issues.
Thanks for the recipe, it sounds really good. I grew acorn squash for the first time this year and was wondering what to do with them all.
We don’t do recipes, we only improvisationally cook. I have had great luck with acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash based on general rules of thumb and observation. This recipe sounds great.
Red Icculus–That sounds like what we do for the most part. The hardest bit of writing recipes for me is remembering what I did. How do you do your squash?
I made this last night, and it was great! My roommate and I loved it, and even our friend who doesn’t like squash much said he liked it. I even saved the seeds and toasted them later last night, and those are good too. Mmm… I had some of the leftovers today, and they were still good, once I heated them up again. Thanks!
I always slice acorn squash into thin wedges and roast with olive oil and seasoning AND I always eat the skin. So good!!! And… no mishaps!