Even in Miami, cooks start to turn to comforting fall flavors this time of year, and I am no exception. Slow braised meats and stews, vegetable sides with warming spices….I love this time of year in the kitchen! Squash is the quintessential fall food, and is super versatile. It can be baked into desserts, makes wonderful vegan entrees, and plays a starring role in holiday sides. My Maple Miso Glazed Delicata squash is fast and easy to prepare. It comes together really quickly with the help of some simple pantry items, and it will definitely be making an appearance on my Thanksgiving table.
Let’s Get Cooking!
If you’ve never cooked delicata squash before, you are in for a treat. All the squashy goodness of butternut squash, but so much easier to prepare. The skin is very thin and edible, so it doesn’t need to be peeled. Delicata is a light creamy yellow, with either green or orange stripes. Look for squash that seem heavy for their size.
For this recipe we are going to cut the delicata in half, lengthwise. I find it helpful to place it on a clean kitchen towel to prevent it from slipping. Once you have two halves, you will need to scape out the seeds. Then just slice the squash into crescent shapes.
Make the Glaze and Roast
The Maple Miso glaze is my favorite part of this recipe. I use white miso for its light, delicate flavor. But if you only have red or darker on hand, that will be delicious as well. Maple syrup can be very pricey. So if I can find one rated Amber B, I get that because it is less expensive and has a very robust maple flavor that stands up to heat. To make the glaze, just whisk the oil, maple, and miso together. It’s important to use a neutral oil here because we don’t want to add a strong olive flavor. If the squash you bought are really large, add 1 tablespoon more of each glaze ingredient so all of the squash gets coated.
After the squash is coated in the yummy maple miso glaze, it needs just a quick roast. Because the glaze is quite sticky, I like to use parchment paper for an easy cleanup. If after 20 or so minutes it isn’t browned as much as you like, you can broil it for a couple minutes. Be careful though, the high sugar content of the glaze can make it burn quickly. And do not try and flip the pieces of squash as you roast it; it gets very soft and tends to fall apart with too much handling.
My Maple Miso Glazed Delicata Squash is savory, salty, and sweet. I know you are going to love its fall flavors. If you make it, let us know! Leave a comment, tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, show us the goods!
Maple Miso Glazed Delicata Squash
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: side
- Cuisine: Fusion
Description
A sweet and savory side dish, perfect for Fall!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 delicata squash
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons white miso
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and place the oven rack in the middle.
- Wash the squash and put a kitchen towel under the squash. This will help stabilize the squash as you cut into it. Put your knife into the center of the squash and push into the squash as you draw the knife down.
- Carefully pull the knife out and repeat on the other side, splitting the squash. Sometimes I use my fingers to help pry the halves apart. Repeat with the other squash.
- Use a spoon and scrape out the seeds. Trim the ends of the squash halves and then cut each half lengthwise so you have 8 pieces. Slice each squash piece into ½ inch pieces and put them into a large bowl.
- Mix the neutral oil, maple syrup, and miso together until smooth. Then pour the mixture over the squash slices and toss to combine. (If you bought very large squash, you should use 4 tablespoons of miso, maple syrup, and oil). The slices should be evenly and generously coated with sauce.
- Place the squash on a piece of parchment paper lined baking tray (or you can use aluminum foil too) and roast for 20-25 minutes until the squash is tender, slightly charred, and a little crusty. Do not flip the squash while roasting as it becomes delicate and you will end up breaking the pieces.
- If your squash looks like it needs a little more color, heat the broiler to high and broil for 2-3 minutes until you get the nice golden caramelization. Serve immediately.
Notes
If your squash are extra large, use 1 tablespoon more of the miso, maple syrup, and oil so you have enough glaze to generously coat the squash pieces.
Keywords: vegetables, sides, miso, squash, fall
Great tip! Thanks for sharing.
This recipe works great with all types of squash. I tried it with butternut and acorn squash.
★★★★★