A great fall and winter treat is roasted sweet dumpling squash! If you have never had it before, it is similar to a butternut or acorn squash but a little sweeter and very flavorful.
This is a squash that is pretty new to us here. It wasn't until recently that I even heard of it! I was unsure about trying it in the beginning because well the name and it looked a bit odd. We decided to try new things and we have made it several times since! Roasted is our favorite way to have it, but it is a great addition to other meals as well if you add it to other dishes.
Like other squash, it is hard to cut through so do your best (carefully) to cut it in half. It will take a very sharp knife to get through it. Take note that in this we used one that was just a little over a pound because it was the vegetable side with parmesan pan fried chicken. Cut in 4 and it was perfect for each of us. If making it a bigger part of your dinner, go with a bigger size and your cook time will increase a little as well.
Making the roasted sweet dumpling squash
This is very simple to make once you get beyond the cutting it in half. And these are the spices that I use but if you don't like one of them, you can mix them up. Just note that it is a slightly sweet squash when picking the seasonings.
Once you have your sweet dumpling squash cut in half, remove all the seeds. Poke a few holes with a fork into the skin and place about an inch to inch and a half of water into a baking dish. We use our 8x8 glass baking dish for this and it is the perfect size.
Place the squash halves skin side down into the dish.
Add a tablespoon of butter to the center of each half. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, turmeric (sounds weird but is good) and nutmeg. Cover with foil or an oven safe lid that fits your dish and place in the oven at 400 F. Bake for about 20 minutes before removing the cover. Continue baking until the squash is fork tender - probably about 10 minutes but it might need more time.
We like to pour the butter into a bowl and cut the halves in half again to serve. We then serve the roasted sweet dumpling squash with the butter in a bowl on the side so it can be added if you want it.
Roasted Sweet Dumpling Squash
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet dumpling squash whole - see notes
- 2 tbsp butter
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp turmeric ground - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.Clean the outside of the squash - I use a little vinegar and rinse with water.
- Carefully cut the squash in half as best as you can. It is hard to cut, especially through the stem so you might need to cut slightly over from the stem. Remove the seeds and poke a few holes in the skin with a fork.
- Pour enough water in your baking dish so you have an 1 to 1½ inches of water on the bottom.
- Place the squash halves skin side down into the dish and place a tablespoon of butter inside each one where the seeds were. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, nutmeg and turmeric - the measured amount is estimated, I just sprinkle some over each half.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil/cover and bake until the flesh of the squash is fork tender. Should be about 10 minutes more but might require more time.
Marilyn Lesniak
Gotcha on Yummly too. I always forget to tell you! Thank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Happy Holiday!
Dawn
Thank you Marilyn 🙂 I will definitely be there, have a great week and a happy Holiday!
Sue Snider
I enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for creating it. I am watching my weight so I used spray butter and the seasoning. I had to add about another 10-15 minutes to the cooking time to make the squash soft So it was about 45 minutes total time. After it came out of the oven I sprayed the squash again and serve it. It was oh so good! It is a little sweeter than usual squash and really very tasty.
Dawn
I am glad you enjoyed it! Cook time can vary slightly since not all squash is the same size and ovens vary. We have even tried it with olive oil as well and it is good that way too, but we do prefer a buttery taste on squash here over olive oil.
Pam
Oh, yum, this looks so good! Squash is one of my favorites, and I think I will treat myself with this! (I'll just use a little less butter to make it work with my WW points!) I'm featuring it today at Thursday Favorite Things. Thanks for sharing it!
Dawn
Squash is very good for you so I am sure you will be good on your points! Less butter is ok too, we used it as a dipping sauce when it was done so you really could do less. Thank you for featuring me Pam 🙂
Carol
I love squash but have never heard of this type. I love roasted squash and I cook acorn similar to this. Pinned and shared!
Dawn
This was the first time I had seen it too when we bought it. And surprisingly, I found it at the supermarket and not a farm stand! Thank you 🙂
FOODHEAL
Even if I don't use butter, this recipe sounds so yummy, I can feel it melting in my mouth already... Thank you for sharing.