By Koginut squash is a gorgeous cross between a pumpkin and a butternut. They have beautiful golden skin, and bright orange flesh. They are very sweet like butternut, but not as much of a pain to prep. I really enjoy roasting them because you can eat the skins much like delicata squash. Here they are topped with a gremolata that has the addition of pecans for crunch. This recipe makes a generous amount of gremolata. If you don’t want to use it all on the squash sprinkle it on pasta or salad.
My original idea for this recipe was to make it a spaghetti dish. However, when I was working on the recipe the week of Thanksgiving I was a little overwhelmed by all of the food taking over my fridge, and did not want to create more leftovers. However, this dish would be really easy to incorporate into pasta, and I’ll be making it again soon for that reason.
Roasted Koginut Squash with Pecan Gremolata (Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a meal.)
- One 2 lb Kogninut squash (Delicata would be a good substitute. You would need 2-3)
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 oz olive oil
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup pecans toasted
- 1 big handful of parsley (should yield about a 1/2 cup chopped)
- zest of two lemons
- 2 cloves
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Prepare squash by cutting it in half lengthwise, and cutting off the top. Scrape out the seeds from inside. Cut squash into pieces approximately 2 inches long by 1/3 inch wide. Toss the squash in oil. Season with Aleppo pepper, salt, and black pepper. Put on a sheet pan, spreading out as much as possible and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until squash starts to brown and is tender. Remove from oven.
- While the squash is cooking, prepare the gremolata. Finely chop the pecans. You can also do the nuts in a food processor if you’d like. Finely chop the parsley. Mince the garlic. Mix all with the lemon zest. Add a sprinkle of salt.
- Top the squash with gremolata as desired and serve.
Note: If you want to double this recipe, please make sure to use multiple sheet pans. Spreading it out yields better color and flavor.
Down to a Simmer 