These roasted honeynut squash wedges are a beautiful and easy side to include in a vegan holiday feast. Served with an apple cider reduction, pine nuts, and a simple homemade herb salt, the presentation alone is so lovely. The honeynut squash has a mellow and sweet flavor thatโs enhanced by the tangy cider and woody herbs. With prepping and cook time, you need a little over an hour.
I rarely purchase regular butternut squash these days. Honeynut squash has a more concentrated/intense flavor and a slightly more dense and creamier texture as well. Itโs one of my favorite vegetables! We successfully grew a bumper crop of it this year. I love to simply roast this squash, but Iโm also pretty keen on it in this vegan butternut squash risotto.
As for this recipe, I do love to take simple things and make them sublime with a few tweaks and presentation strategies. For this veggie side, I like to peel the honeynuts and cut them into pretty wedges. Some folks like to leave the peel on, but I donโt particularly enjoy it. The extra 5 minutes of peeling is worth it for that silky smooth texture all the way through.
The roasted honeynut squash wedges look beautiful on a platter. While the squash roasts, you reduce apple cider in a saucepan until thick and slightly syrupy and grind up some herbs with flaky salt in a mortar and pestle. Top the squash with those fancy-but-easy additions and finish with buttery toasted pine nuts. Super impressive!
Hope you love this fun little side. I dare you to go back to regular butternut squash after trying it (this is a joke, I love every single vegetable on planet earth!).
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Roasted Honeynut Squash Wedges with Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- ยฝ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- pinch ground chilies, optional
- 3-4 honeynut squashes (about 1.2 kg total weight)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Equipment
- Mortar and Pestle
Notes
- The amount of herb salt may be too much for some folks. Just season the squash to your liking and use any leftover salt on other roasted veggies, to season a soup etc!
Instructions
Make the apple cider reduction.
- Pour the apple cider into a small skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat so that it's just simmering and only bubbling around the edges. Check in to stir it up here and there. Once the apple cider has reduced to almost ยผ of its original volume, you're good. You should have about โ cup remaining. The total simmering time takes around 45 minutes.
- Once done, transfer the apple cider reduction to a microwave-safe bowl of measuring cup. You may need to heat it up to get it loose enough to drizzle later on. Set aside.
While apple cider is simmering, work on the herb salt and squash.
- Make the herb salt. To the mortar (bowl) of a mortar and pestle, add the flaky salt, rosemary, thyme, and chili (if using). Grind this mixture up with the pestle until there's little green flecks all throughout the salt. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400ยฐF.
- Peel the honeynut squash and cut the ends off. Cut the squashes in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut the halves into wedges and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and sprinkle the herb salt and some pepper. Toss to combine and then spread the wedges out on the baking sheet.
- Roast the honeynut squash wedges until tender and golden, about 30-35 minutes. Gently flip them over with a spatula at the halfway point.
- When the squash is done, arrange it on a platter. Pop the apple cider reduction in the microwave for 10 seconds if it's firmed up too much. Then, drizzle it evenly over the squash. Sprinkle the pine nuts and garnish with more herbs if you like. Enjoy!
Hi Laura
This looks incredible! Did you find honeynut squash at a grocery store or local farmerโs market? (Fellow Ontarian hoping to find some around me!) Thanks!
Oh, sorry, I see that you grew it yourself!
Hi Amanda!
I did grow some this year, but my dad found me a bunch at a local farm stand as well. I rarely see this variety at grocery stores in Ontario unfortunately!
-L
Ok, will keep an eye out. Thanks!
WOW!!! Looks amazing. Iโm adding it to my Thanksgiving menu right now :) Canโt wait to try it, Iโll report back!
This is exactly what Iโm looking for, thank you! If I made it ahead of time (day before?) and placed the platter in the over to re-warm do you think it would work out? Iโm wondering if the cider reduction would be too sticky or if the squash would discolor at all.
Thanks for another banger of a recipe!!
Hi Lauren,
I would leave the roasted squash alone on the platter and keep the apple cider reduction and pine nuts separate. The reduction firms up a lot once refrigerated. I recommend keeping it in a microwave-safe container and then right before serving, zap it for 10 seconds and drizzle on top of the warm squash. Sprinkle the pine nuts and youโre good!
-L