Description
Tender wedges of roasted honeynut squash are topped with a tangy roselle leaf pesto for an easy and flavorful side dish. This vegan and gluten free recipe is perfect for the autumn season and comes together with just 8 ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2–3 honeynut squashes or 1 butternut squash
- 1 whole bulb of garlic
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil, divided
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 packed cup of roselle leaves
- 1/2 cup toasted cashews
- 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut each honeynut squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut each half in half lengthwise, then place the cut squash on your lined baking sheet. Drizzle the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with a pinch of sea salt. Place the bulb of garlic on the sheet then put it in your pre-heated oven. Roast for about 30 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender and just beginning to caramelize around the edges.
- Once the squash and garlic has roasted, allow the garlic to cool just enough until you can handle it. Cut the bottom of the bulb off to expose all of the roasted cloves. Carefully squeeze all of the cloves into a blender or food processor then add the roselle leaves, cashews, maple syrup or honey, nutritional yeast, and the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil. Season with salt, then pulse until you have a chunky pesto consistency. Taste and add more salt as needed.
- To serve, top each wedge of squash with a dollop of the pesto then enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute one medium butternut squash for the honeynut squashes. Cut it in half lengthwise in order to remove the pulp/seeds, then cut each half into 4-6 pieces.
- If you can’t find roselle leaves, you can use an equal amount of sorrel. Or, use an equal amount of baby spinach in addition to the zest of 1-2 lemons.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: side