This Baked Acorn Squash Recipe with Pecans comes with Crispy Sage Leaves and is the ideal Thanksgiving side dish, or accompaniment to any meal. It's full of comforting fall flavors, and it will be a beautiful addition to your holiday table. 
When people ask me to describe my site, I typically say that Cooking On The Weekends celebrates the beauty of whole ingredients, and it's a collection of creative, comforting recipes for casual entertaining.
Today's Baked Acorn Squash with Pecans and Crispy Sage Leaves recipe is the perfect example of both of those things, and it's one of my favorite fall and winter squash recipes.
Inspiration
Let's examine an acorn squash, shall we?
Have you ever stopped to look at one? I mean, really look at it? It's like stopping to smell the roses.
I always try to take moments to pause during the cooking process to do this -- actually, it's not planned, it's really when the beauty of an ingredient grabs my eye.
Just look at the bottom of this acorn squash -- it's simply stunning. The colors, the textures, the imperfections . . . .
Pause whenever you can while you're cooking with pretty ingredients. Always try to take your time so you don't miss out on any of the beauty.
Every stage of the cooking process can be beautiful.
Baked Acorn Squash for Thanksgiving
This dish would be fantastic served alongside my Smoky Paprika Bacon Roasted Turkey on Thanksgiving.
Pecans and acorn squash are two things that scream fall and Thanksgiving. And together they're brilliant. Pecans have a subtle maple flavor that is perfect with the sweetness of the squash.
You can also cut the squash into bite-sized pieces and mix it with brown rice and sautéed spinach for a hearty vegetarian dish.
This would be fantastic as a part of any fall meal!
Can I eat acorn squash skin?
Acorn squash skin is perfectly edible when it's roasted or baked. I love how it looks with the skin for presentation -- if it's not to your taste, though, it easily comes off.
Enjoy it however you'd like to. Either way, it's pecans and acorn squash, and will therefore be fabulous.
Recipe Tips
- You can grind the pecans in a food processor, but be careful not to let it go any longer than it takes for them to become tiny pieces. If you do it too long, it'll turn into a paste. You can also chop them very finely with a Chef's knife.
- I would not advise skipping the crispy sage leaves. They are incredibly delicious, and are sort of like "the icing on the cake."
As far as holiday squash recipes go, this is one of the best!
Oh, and you can follow this recipe using butternut squash too.
Baked Acorn Squash Recipe with Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 approximately 2¾ pound Acorn squash
- ¾ cup raw pecans, finely ground (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 dozen fresh sage leaves, washed and dried
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened room temperature
Instructions
- Set the oven and prepare baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 425°F, adjust a rack to the center and line a baking sheet with foil and set it aside.
- Prepare the squash. Wash and dry the squash well. Then cut it in half, lengthwise, and use a spoon to remove the seeds and any stringy membranes. Now cut each half into approximately 1-inch slices, horizontally. Set aside on a plate.
- Make the pecan topping. In a small bowl, mix the pecans with the brown sugar, chili paste, cinnamon, cumin, salt and olive oil.
- Add the pecan topping. Rub one side of each squash slice with the pecan mixture and then place them on the foil-lined baking sheet, rubbed side down. (Not much will stick, and that's okay.) Then using all of the rest of it, add a thin layer to the top of each slice, about ⅛ inch thick.
- Bake. Place one or two sage leaves under each slice, and then place the pan in the preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cover it loosely with foil and roast for another 15 minutes.Remove the pan from the oven again, and evenly distribute the butter between the top surfaces of each slice, directly on top of the pecan mixture.Place the pan back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so -- when it's done, the squash should be very soft, the pecan crust should be golden, and the butter should be bubbling a bit.
- Cool and serve. Let it cool a bit on the pan and then arrange on a serving platter, and as you do so, gently remove the sage leaves from the bottom of each squash slice and use them as a delicious garnish. Serve.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Deb|EastofEdenCooking
Enjoying the addition of chili paste in this fabulous fall recipe! My sage is ready for another trim and this recipe would be a wonderful way to those savoy leaves to a good use.
valentina
Just started growing my own sage, finally! Love picking it from the garden, don't you? Enjoy and thank you. 🙂
Mark, Compass & Fork
This is a delicious looking meal, Love that texture, the crunch and those great flavors in the recipe ingredients. Nice job.
valentina
Thanks so much, Mark! Hope you try it. 🙂
Renee Gardner
This looks and sounds amazing! I'll have to try it!
valentina
Many thanks, Renee! 🙂
Emily
Wow this looks incredible, all beautiful flavours here perfect for Autumn!
valentina
Thanks, Emily. 🙂
Platter Talk
That sounds and looks incredible! Thanks for the recipe.
valentina
Thank you for checking it out. 🙂
David
Stunning photos, Valentina! I think I could actually get Mark to eat this, as long as I left out some of the sweet spices. Don't ask… It's so hard to explain Mark's taste! 🙂