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Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese and Pepitas

By Natalie Estrada

Published on October 15, 2019

Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese and Pepitas

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar ⅛ teaspoon table salt 3 tablespoons minced shallot 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Squash and Apple

1 (2¼- to 2¾-pound) butternut squash 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided1 teaspoon table salt 1 Gala, Fuji, or Braeburn apple, unpeeled, cored, halved, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)2 tablespoons roasted pepitas

Before You Begin

When peeling the squash, be sure to also remove the fibrous yellow flesh just beneath the skin.

Instructions

    for the vinaigrette

  1. Stir vinegar, sugar, and salt in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in shallot, cilantro, oil, and pepper flakes; set aside.
  2. for the squash and apple

  3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Trim ends from squash and peel squash. Halve squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place squash cut side down on cutting board and slice crosswise 1 inch thick.
  4. Toss squash, 2 tablespoons oil, and salt together in bowl. Spread squash in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, cut side down. Roast until squash is tender and bottoms are beginning to brown, 14 to 16 minutes.
  5. Toss apple and remaining 1 tablespoon oil together in now-empty bowl. Remove sheet from oven. Place apple between squash on sheet, cut side down. (Do not flip squash.) Return sheet to oven and continue to roast until apple is tender and squash is fully browned on bottoms (tops of squash will not be browned), about 8 minutes longer.
  6. Using spatula, transfer squash and apple to shallow platter and spread into even layer. Drizzle vinaigrette over top. Sprinkle with goat cheese and pepitas. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese and Pepitas
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Catrine Kelty.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese and Pepitas

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Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons minced shallot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Squash and Apple

1 (2¼- to 2¾-pound) butternut squash
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon table salt
1 Gala, Fuji, or Braeburn apple, unpeeled, cored, halved, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
2 tablespoons roasted pepitas

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons minced shallot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Squash and Apple

1 (2¼- to 2¾-pound) butternut squash
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon table salt
1 Gala, Fuji, or Braeburn apple, unpeeled, cored, halved, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
2 tablespoons roasted pepitas

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons minced shallot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Squash and Apple

1 (2¼- to 2¾-pound) butternut squash
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon table salt
1 Gala, Fuji, or Braeburn apple, unpeeled, cored, halved, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
2 tablespoons roasted pepitas

Why This Recipe Works

In order to highlight one of our favorite fall vegetables, we used the oven for most of the up-front work. We began by peeling the tough exterior of the squash until there was no yellow skin left. Instead of meticulously dicing the squash into cubes, we cut the squash in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces. The larger pieces of squash caramelized beautifully while their interiors remained ultracreamy. For a contrast of flavors, we added an apple during the last 8 minutes of cooking. After removing the squash and apple from the oven, we topped them with pungent goat cheese and crunchy roasted pepitas. The final touch was adding a zippy vinaigrette of minced shallot, red wine vinegar, and cilantro.

Before You Begin

When peeling the squash, be sure to also remove the fibrous yellow flesh just beneath the skin.

Instructions

    for the vinaigrette

  1. Stir vinegar, sugar, and salt in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in shallot, cilantro, oil, and pepper flakes; set aside.
  2. for the squash and apple

  3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Trim ends from squash and peel squash. Halve squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place squash cut side down on cutting board and slice crosswise 1 inch thick.
  4. Toss squash, 2 tablespoons oil, and salt together in bowl. Spread squash in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, cut side down. Roast until squash is tender and bottoms are beginning to brown, 14 to 16 minutes.
  5. Toss apple and remaining 1 tablespoon oil together in now-empty bowl. Remove sheet from oven. Place apple between squash on sheet, cut side down. (Do not flip squash.) Return sheet to oven and continue to roast until apple is tender and squash is fully browned on bottoms (tops of squash will not be browned), about 8 minutes longer.
  6. Using spatula, transfer squash and apple to shallow platter and spread into even layer. Drizzle vinaigrette over top. Sprinkle with goat cheese and pepitas. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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