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.
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!