It’s good to be home.
Sketchie agrees, after a fun (but tiring) visit with his two furry cat friends. Luckily, grandpa put up with his antics yet again. I won’t go into the multiple accidents he had, but I’ll just tell you that I have an amazing, patient, and kind father-in-law. He deserves many of his favourite baked goods when we visit over Thanksgiving in a couple weeks. And possibly a 6-week spa getaway.
After a few rants and raves once home, Sketchie finally settled into his old digs, but unfortunately didn’t get the memo that we’re still on Pacific time. I have no idea how much coffee I consumed this weekend, but let’s just say my old friend, Bodum, is back to stay!
Back in Ontario, it’s clear that summer has come to an end. Trees are starting to change colour and my robe and slippers have appeared for the first time in months. I was so acclimatized to the amazing heat we had in B.C., I temporarily forgot all about this fall stuff. With bronzed skin for the first time all summer, I came home only to cover it up with sweaters and pants. The summer clothes are in a rejected, useless heap in front of the washing machine.
Since the weather was fitting, I consoled myself with grocery shopping and a healthy dose of fall produce. It’s good to be back in the kitchen, if anything!
This weekend was all about squash…and cookies…and coffee beans. Actually, cookies were the first thing I made, not that that should come as a surprise to anyone. You’d think I’d be aiming for healthier fare after vacation, but I had one thing on my mind: recreating the amazing cookie as big as my head. That recipe will be coming soon, but since it’s Monday and we’re probably trying to eat a bit healthier, I have a vegetable recipe for you today. Don’t worry though, I don’t do boring vegetables.
This recipe is inspired by the roasted butternut squash recipe I made back in 2009. It’s incredibly simple to make using only about 15-20 minutes of prep while the oven does the rest. This time, I made an almond pecan parmesan “cheese” and added Lacinato kale for green power. The result is a comforting fall side dish that will warm you to the bone.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Almond-Pecan Parmesan
Yield
4 side servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This comforting and nutritious side dish will warm you to the bone! The Almond-Pecan Parmesan lends a crunchy contrast to the buttery and lightly sweet squash. Finely chopped kale provides a boost of green power. Trust me when I say that it's so good you'll want to enjoy this dish as a main course.
Ingredients
For the roasted squash:
- 1 medium/large butternut squash (2 to 2 1/2 lbs.)
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (37 g) stemmed and roughly chopped kale
For the Almond-Pecan Parmesan:
- 1/4 cup (40 g) whole almonds
- 1/4 cup (27 g) pecan halves
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) nutritional yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and lightly grease a large casserole dish with oil.
- Peel the squash. Thinly slice off the bottom and top and then slice through the middle lengthwise to make two halves. Remove seeds with a spoon. Chop the two halves into 1-inch chunks and place into the casserole dish.
- Add the minced garlic, parsley, oil, and salt into casserole dish and toss until combined with the squash. Do not add the kale yet.
- Cover the casserole dish with tinfoil (with a few holes poked) and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 45 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.
- Meanwhile, in a mini food processor, pulse the Almond-Pecan Parmesan ingredients together until coarsely chopped.
- After cooking, remove the squash from the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C). Remove the tinfoil. Stir in the chopped kale and sprinkle the Parmesan all over the squash. Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, uncovered, until the nuts are lightly toasted. Watch closely so you don’t burn the nuts. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Status: Warm with a happy belly.
Thanks, a great idea. i am going to try this tomorrow night. So you would basically chop up the oats in a food processor and add that in? Great idea.Would other nuts, like walnuts work?
I am restricted to 30 – 50 grams of good oils a day and very very low sat fats.
Thanks again.
Yes that’s probably what I would try out! I really hope it works for you and tastes good. Let me know how it goes. :) Of course another option is to just cut the parm in half. enjoy
I just made this for lunch and it was OUTSTANDING! All of the flavors work beautifully together! Thanks again for another great recipe!
A perfect fall meal. Yum.
MMM. Two of my favorite foods – butternut squash and kale. I just made a butternut squash and kale soup with veggie broth, shitake mushrooms, miso, garlic and ginger. Yummy.
You are an enabler! I have literally eaten 3 acorn squash myself over the past 6 days. This looks so good and fall-like :D
I made this last night and I served it over spinach and brown rice. It was so yummy and the house smelled delicious after baking it! Thank you for this fantastice recipe Angela! I will definetly be making it again :D
Angela, I don’t really comment on many blogs as I just help my wife with hers. However, I have to say over the last month or so… your photography has gotten really awesome! I am liking the dark backgrounds a lot. Seems to bring the food out more.
Keep it up!
Thank you Dan, that makes my week! I’ve been trying to branch out and try new things lately. I tend to only see parts I don’t like in my photos, so your praise is greatly appreciated!
Hello! I made this last night and impressed the heck out of my boyfriend, who is the normal chef in the house :) Thank you so much for such an awesome recipe!!!!
Okay, I’m kind of in love with how you presented this dish. It looks sooooooo delish, and I can’t get over how your served it in the cast iron! Fabulous!
Not a day goes by that I do not visit your site and salivate over beautiful photos of food. Absolutely love your blog
Thank you so much Kathy! :)
Ahh we had our first rain fall of the season and i’m so excited to make this dish! :) Love butternut squash!
I am so happy that it is squash season. I love all fall foods.
Cute kitty :)
This looks perfect for the fall weather : ) I have been meaning to make your parmesan cheese version for a while, this was just the reminder and inspiration I needed to make it happen!
Fabulous!!! Made this last night adding a couple of cans of chickpeas (a sure sign of laziness) and DOUBLED the amount of Parm cheez (a complete lack of interest in calories). So yummy :)
This is amazing! Just made some with delicata squash (no need to remove the outer shell) and it was probably the tastiest thing I have had in months. Went with extra garlic and rosemary instead of parsley. Props!
Glad to hear that Sam!
I made this for dinner tonight. My husband said, “Please tell Angela this is one of the best things you’ve ever made.” I let my beagle Zoe have a couple pieces. She’s typically indifferent to people food, but now she’s pulling out all the stops to get more. This will be a Thanksgiving side dish for sure! You are a genius :)
hah awww that is so amazing to hear! Glad it was a hit (even with the pooch) ;)
I made this as you suggested, with half nuts and half ground oatmeal. it was fabulous. I am sure it would be even more fabulous with all nuts, but I keep my oils to a minimum. Thanks for this incredible recipe. i will make this many more times.
Yay Im so glad it worked with oats! :) Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Angela! I totally made this yesterday with a couple of cute little butternut squashes from my mom’s garden that were just aching to be made into a delicious dish–and the stars aligned and you published this post and the squash was delicious and everything is right in the universe. Thank you so very much. I feel like you are my flavor-soulmate!
hah well Im honoured! ;) Glad you enjoyed it!
Angela,
We tried this recipe of yours and it was so good! Even our sons who don’t care for butternut squash liked it. Thank you so much!
I made this today during a squash cooking spree. IT IS AMAZING!!!! I love your recipes and recommend them to clients a lot (I’m a Holistic Nutritionist). I love squash and love finding new yummy squash recipes =)
This was amazing. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
This was sooooo delicious! And super easy to make (long baking time, but who cares? as long as I don’t have to spend that time cooking :P)
YUM! I just made this… love the “cheez” alternative. A great recipe for butternut squash! Everything in it is healthy and delish!
I had my non vegan friends over for dinner last week and made them some of your delicious fall recipes. They were all amazed by the rich flavors and healthiness of all the dishes!
I started them off with my go-to appetizer, Spinach and Artichoke dip (so creamy, they couldn’t believe it was bean puree) and the Mushroom Walnut Tart (first time, my new fave app that I want to make for Xmas). For dinner we had the Butternut Squash Mac N Cheese (so delish, I finally just finished the leftovers today) and the Butternut Squash with Almond and Pecan Parmesan (also a fave that’s surprisingly easy to make) because you can’t taste the butternut squash flavor in the Mac N Cheese recipe.
Thank you for providing us with tasty & nutritious vegan recipes!!
Wow you are superwoman! So happy to hear how well the dishes went for your party and that they were enjoyed. :) Now it’s time for you to kick back & relax, I’d say!
This recipe rocked mine and my husband’s world last night! Thank you for the scrumptious recipes!!!
You GENIUS, you!. =) Sooooooo perfect & hits all the right flavor & texture notes! The only thing I changed was that I didn’t have pecans that weren’t candied so I threw in just a few of those for a pecan taste & made up the difference with walnuts (to counter the sweetness of the sugar). Thank you for sharing with the world!
What breed of cat is Sketchie? I’m going to get a cat soon and need recommendations, as I’ve never had one! :)
Dumb question here…is the nutritional yeast optional? I’m making this to bring to Thanksgiving tomorrow and don’t have it on hand…should I made the extra trip to get it? Thanks!
There is only 1 tbsp of nooch so I want to say skip it, however I find it really does add a nice Parmesan-y flavour. Either way Im sure it will still be good!
I did decide to buy it…I was intrigued. Dish is in the oven now and I’ll let you know how it goes…smells great. Looking forward to finding other uses for the yeast…! Thanks. (we’re not vegan but I’m enjoying the vegetables and other recipes!
Had this for dinner tonight, it was delish! Thanks for sharing!
Tried this yesterday and it was excellent. I didn’t have kale so I used red chard and the colour of that added much to the dish. Will make again.
Just made this one and paired it with your ceasar dressing on a big green salad and quinoa. Perfect fall dinner! Currently snacking on cold leftovers as I type, yum!
I made this tonight. Though I omitted the nutirtional yeast and parsley, I added rosemary and parmesean cheese. I thought this dish was FANTASTIC! Ate it as my main course for dinner and didn’t even need anything else with it. I really LOVED it! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the delicious idea! My husband and I LOVED it!
I tried this recipe and it was SO easy and very very good! My boyfriend and I have started gluten free and I am 90% plant based so I was so excited to try this! It tastes very fall and we loved the ‘cheese’ It is very filling, but I also made some quinoa and served it on top of that. LOVED IT. Thanks! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes
Hi Angela! I’ve been using your blog as my go-to recipes ever since I had to cut out dairy from my diet a few months ago. This recipe was DELICIOUS! The flavors were great and really completed the butternut squash. My boyfriend couldn’t stop eating it hehe. Definitely going to become a staple in my cooking. Thank you!
Have cooked this butternut squash recipe twice in a week- my husband adores it. The nut Parmesan is fabulous and I will use it on a multitude of other dishes- thank you
This was soooo delicious :) I really recommend you don’t skip the nut mixture!
I have made this recipe several times this month! It’s a great easy dish for our “meatless Mondays” which my husband usually dreads. We serve this up as a main course and I actually add extra kale. It is perfect for an easy dish on a cold night!
I made this this weekend. So good!
I love all of your recipes. Have not made one yet that I dont like. Getting to the point we just browse your recipes and keep those items on stock.
Where did you get those cute black cast iron bowls you serve these up in. They are cute!
OK I thought the butternut squash and black bean burritos were my favorite squash recipe until I met this one! You’re right, the nut cheese definitely adds the “WOW” factor. I left out the parsley (not a fan) and added more kale, and also put it on broil for the last 5 minutes to crisp it up a bit. I could not stop eating it!! I will definitely be making this for Thanksgiving and I’m sure it will be a crowd-pleaser…thank you!
This recipe is amazing! I have made it several times and recommended it to a bunch of friends. I increased both the garlic and kale (personal preference)… my husband is amazed at how much the almond-pecan topping actually tastes like cheese. Home run!
Mmmmmm! So good. I used walnuts and chard because it’s what I had, and I kept everything else the same. Delicious. I so love your recipes!
Seems a great recipe to try! Do you have any recommendations for what to eat with it?
Absolutely amazing!
1st time having Kale and the Almond Pecan Parmesan “Cheese” and it was delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Angela,
I just hosted my first vegan thanksgiving for my family and made this!!! I didn’t change a thing and it turned out sooooo good. We absolutely loved the vegan parmesan toping! We ate the left overs straight from the fridge the next morning — even cold it was amazing!! Thanks!!!
Hey Lana, I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for trying it out :) Happy belated Thanksgiving!
A little late to the party, but just whipped this up and it is delish! the nut cheese is so simple but really adds that extra flavor. i overcooked my squash a little (story of my life) but don’t mind it a little squishy :) thanks for the great recipe!!
Where did you get that black cast iron dish? My favorite restaurant carries those and I’ve been searching for them!
Hey Michelle, I think I bought them at Kitchen Stuff Plus store. They are SOLID/heavy and a bit expensive like most cast iron.
I loved this recipe! It will definitely be going into my regular winter food rotation. After my first serving I ended up doubling the almond, pecan, “parm” and kale topping. It probably upped the calories a decent amount but it was so good and so easy to make I knew I needed more immediately. First time using nooch too and it was so perfect. Thank you!
come to think of it, I didn’t weigh the squash, which was quite large, so maybe that’s why the topping initially seemed a bit sparse. I could have used to much squash.
I love the 239 comments stating the obvious (OMG this looks SO GOOD I can’t wait to make it blah blah blah), but as someone who has actually made the recipe, my opinion matters at least 1,000,000x more. And with that introduction, let me say: it tastes even better than it looks. AMAZING! Thank you!