Sweet and Spicy Roasted Acorn Squash Slices 🧡🍂 are an EASY fall flavored side dish that’s ready in 20 minutes. This oven roasted acorn squash is made extra fabulous with a sweet and spicy orange infused butter sauce, then topped with toasted sage leaves, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate arils, and a touch of orange zest for a festive finish. Perfect for weeknight dinners or your Thanksgiving and Christmas menus!
Easy Sweet and Spicy Acorn Squash Recipe
- If you want to be the family member that impresses everyone this sweet and spicy acorn squash recipe is just the holiday side dish to do the trick! It’s a deceptively very easy-to-make side dish that always garners tons of compliments, and it’s ready in 20 minutes.
- Every element of this side dish will turn even squash disbelievers into believers. That’s because the acorn squash itself is roasted to tender perfection while being complimented beautifully by the buttery sweet and spicy sauce.
- Melted butter is doctored up with brown sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, ginger, smoked paprika, and chili powder to create a sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy flavor palate that is incredible when drizzled atop the acorn squash.
- To really go above and beyond, you can toast some sage leaves, roast pumpkin seeds, and grab some pomegranate arils, all optional of course. But the festive garnishes really level up that presentation value!
- Bonus that this easy holiday side dish recipe is naturally gluten-free. So, if you’re serving it to a group of gluten-free eaters, this is a great go-to easy gluten-free side dish recipe.
Ingredients in Sweet and Spicy Acorn Squash
- Acorn squash: Look for squash that feels heavy for its size and is free from bruises or discoloration. You can also use delicata squash, kabocha squash, butternut squash, or the right kind of pumpkin, noting that some squash varieties may need to be peeled or cubed rather than sliced.
- Unsalted butter, orange zest, orange juice, and light brown sugar: These create the sweet, buttery orange sauce that helps the squash caramelize. Use fresh orange juice since you’ll need the zest anyway, and zest the orange before squeezing it. Brown sugar adds flavor and color, but you can experiment with using less if desired.
- Cinnamon, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, and ground ginger: These spices give the squash its sweet, smoky, lightly spicy flavor. The dish has a little kick, but it is not overly spicy. Adjust the chili powder to make it more or less spicy.
- Pomegranate arils and sage leaves: Optional, but they make the finished squash extra festive. Pomegranate arils add juicy sweetness and texture, and store-bought cleaned pomegranate seeds are a great time-saver.
- Optional pumpkin or acorn seeds: Pumpkin seeds or acorn seeds can be tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and a little cayenne for a crunchy topping.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Roasted Acorn Squash Slices
- Preheat your oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with nonstick foil for easier cleanup, and lightly spray the foil with cooking spray; set aside.
- Scrub, and slice two acorn squash horizontally on a cutting board. Then, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Save them to roast for later! Slice the acorn squash halves into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Melt the butter in the microwave, and whisk in 4 tablespoons of brown butter, orange zest, and orange juice. Once smooth, add the remaining ingredients except the pomegranate arils and sage leaves. Drizzle the mixture over the squash pieces arranged on a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top, and roast until fork tender. Make sure to check for doneness, and adjust as needed!
- Garnish with pomegranate arils and toasted sage leaves if desired. You can also add a sprinkle of cheese or walnuts for a slightly different taste.
Roast the seeds
1. Make sure the seeds are washed and dried.
2. Place them in a bowl, add all oil and seasonings, and toss them to combine.
3. Arrange the seeds in a single layer on a sheet pan, and bake for 3 to 5 minutes or just until lightly toasted. Be careful not to burn!
4. Sprinkle the seeds over the squash before serving.
Note: You can always just toast the seeds plain and in a dry skillet and keep them as a snack for later, too. You’ll want to salt them though before nibbling!
Sweet and Spicy Roasted Acorn Squash Slices
Equipment
- 1 Microwave-Safe Bowl
Ingredients
Squash
- 2 acorn squash, scrubbed well, seeded, and sliced horizontally into 1/2-inch wide slices
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Zest and juice from 1 whole large orange
- 4 to 6 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed; divided
- 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or regular
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
- Pomegranate arils, optional for serving
- 4 to 6 toasted or fried sage leaves, optional for serving
Pumpkin or Acorn Squash Seeds, optional for serving
- 4 tablespoons cleaned and dried seeds
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, or regular
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- Pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
Instructions
- Squash – Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with nonstick foil for easier cleanup, and lightly spray the foil with cooking spray; set aside.
- Scrub and slice two acorn squash horizontally (you can do it vertically down the grooves of the squash but for presentation in this recipe I prefer horizontal), scoop out the seeds and either save them to roast if you don't opt for pumpkin seeds or discard them. Tip – Make sure the slices are 1/2-inch wide and not thicker so the squash cooks in the indicated timeframe.
- Place it on the prepared baking sheet, scattered about evenly; set aside.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup.
- Add 4 tablespoons of the brown sugar, then zest the orange (taking care just to use the orange and not the white pith which is bitter) adding the zest to the butter, halve the orange and squeeze in the juice, and then add all remaining ingredients except the pom arils or sage leaves, and stir to combine.
- Slowly and carefully pour this mixture over the squash, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Make sure to check a couple pieces for doneness. All squash will cook at slightly different rates so bake until yours is done if using another variety or even acorn since it varies.
- Optionally garnish with pom arils and toasted sage leaves. Toast them by simply adding them to a dry skillet (or with 1 tablespoon olive oil if you want to fry them rather than toast them) and cook them over high heat for a couple of minutes, watching them closely since they're prone to burning and keep shaking your skillet or moving them around with a soft spatula.
- Seeds, optional – Make sure either the acorn squash seeds or pumpkin seeds are cleaned and dried.
- Place the seeds in a small bowl, add all the other ingredients, toss to combine, and scatter them on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just toasted. Watch them carefully since they're prone to burning.
- Evenly sprinkle them over the squash slices before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What to Serve with Acorn Squash Slices
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