Squash season is a wonderful season! I love winter squash for it’s versatility; it can be a savory dish or a sweet ending. I made this with carnival squash, but you can make this with acorn squash as well, maybe even butternut. You could serve this as a sweet side dish, or just make it dessert :).
Twice Baked Acorn Squash
- 2 winter squash, cut in half, with seeds removed and reserved to toast.
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- Place squash halves in microwave, cut side up, for 6 minutes on high (this greatly reduces the baking time. If you don’t have a microwave you can do it entirely in the oven, it will just take about double the time).
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Place squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 25 minutes or until flesh is soft and mashable.
- Turn the oven down to 350F.
- Scoop all the flesh out of the squash halves, leaving some around the edges to maintain the integrity of squash shell.
- In a large bowl, add the squash, sugar, cinnamon, dried cranberries, walnuts, flour, vegan butter and maple syrup and mash it all together.
- Scoop mixture back into squash shells and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Sprinkle tops with the cinnamon sugar squash seeds and enjoy!e
Cinnamon Sugar Squash Seeds
- 1 cup squash seeds, cleaned and patted dry (i put them between layers of paper towels to dry)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Oven should be at 350F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil.
- Toss the seeds with the melted butter and then spread out in a single layer on the baking sheet
- Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and then sprinkle 1/4 of the mixture over the squash seeds.
- Bake for 5 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle with another 1/4 of the cinnamon/sugar, mix seeds gently, and then put back in the oven.
- Repeat step 5 until all the cinnamon sugar is mixed in with the seeds.
- Let cool completely and then sprinkle over the dessert squash.
What a delicious recipe, wholesome comfort-food, and what wonderful color this “carnival” variety of squash has. It kind of matches the changing foliage theme, (if you’re in to that sort of thing).
I admit, I was skeptical when Jenny suggested squash could be a dessert dish, but it turns out the sugar, spice, fruit and nuts really make it work. I suppose it is similar to the way a baked apple can be a dessert, using the very same ingredients actually.
I have good memories of carving jack-o-lanterns in the fall and eating toasted, salted pumpkin seeds. They are inviting and fun to chew on, but I also feel like I got my fill of that snack pretty quickly. Not something that you’d eat endlessly, not like pistachio nuts, or those holiday “nut bowls” that your relatives leave out.
Similarly I have mixed thoughts on the squash seeds in this dish. It does mix things up a bit, and adds complexity and variety, which is all good. Although after eating just a few seeds I had my fill of the tough, fibrous texture… But then again by that point I also had my fill of the sweet squash, so I guess it worked out alright. It certainly didn’t stop me from getting a second helping. :p I guess the issue is that there’s such a stark contrast between the super soft texture of the squash and the firm toughness of the seeds, enough that it gave me pause. My brain didn’t know if I was eating a healthy vegetable or a sweet dessert. It’s something in-between, like fruit salad.
But there’s no accounting for taste. Some people love crunchy textures, and will go for the dark-toasted heel of a bread loaf, just to get the extra-crunchy crust. Other’s, (like Jenny) love the super silky textures, like in tiramisu. So suit yourself I guess. It’s easy enough to make the squash seeds optional.
By the way, it also seems like maybe the 2 recipes above can be merged, since the 2nd baking and the seed toasting are both done at 350 deg.F for 5-10 minutes. Would it work to sprinkle the seeds on the same pan as the squash, or would it be better to cook the seeds with radiant heat (broiling/grilling/toasting), as you would get from a separate pan on the top rack (shielding the squash baking below)? I guess I’ll have to try it out with this squash you gave me. But I’m so lazy!
What does it say if I’m lazyier than the Lazy Vegan Baker? haha. 🙂 Anyway, I love winter squash. You can’t go wrong. Last night I just had some butternut with maple syrup. Super simple, super good. I love how you added the fruit and nuts though…they make anything better.
Thanks for the hot recipes to get us through the cold winter.