Roasted Squash with Fig, Date, Toasted Nuts
Roasted Squash with Fig Date Toasted Nuts
It’s not often a veggie side gets raved about over some of the Thanksgiving hard hitters, but that’s exactly what happened with this Roasted Squash with a figgy date toasted nut topping and creamy goat cheese. The dates and figs add sweetness that pairs perfectly with the warmth of the nuts, rosemary, and cinnamon. The result is layers on layers of flavor that provide a welcome surprise to your dinner plate!
For making ahead:
You can make this 1-2 days in advance, just keep the squash, date mixture, and goat cheese separate. When ready to serve, reheat the squash and dates gently until warm, before topping with the goat cheese.
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients:
For the Roasted Squash:
1 Delicata Squash, (you can also use cubed honeynut or butternut squash)
2 tbsps olive oil
¼ tsp Cayenne
¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Salt to taste
For the Fig Date Toasted Nut Topping:
2 tbsps salted butter
10-12 pitted dates, chopped
¼ cup pecans, walnuts or almonds (or a combo)
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
2 tbsps fig jam
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Directions:
For the Roasted Squash with Fig Date Toasted Nuts:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the ends off your delicata squash, then slice in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon. Slice the squash into 1” wide slices.
Add the squash to a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, cayenne, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Spread out into an even layer and bake for 15-18 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, add the butter to a saute pan and once melted, add in the dates and rosemary.
After 1-2 minutes once the dates have softened, add in the nuts and fig jam and stir until well incorporated. Shut off the heat and season to taste.
Serve the squash topped with the date nut mixture and top with crumbled goat cheese. Enjoy!
