Roasted delicata squash with bacon and walnut parsley pesto is a simple and flavor-packed recipe, perfect for breakfast with a poached egg. Or serve it as a side dish for thanksgiving, or any meal!EASY - Easy recipe, great for beginner cooks. Tips provided to make substitutions if needed.
2delicata squashcut lengthwise, and into ¾ inch slices
1tspsea salt
½tspcoarsely ground black peppermore if you prefer spicy
½tspgarlic powder
2 - 3tspolive oilor butter or any cooking oil you prefer
9 - 12regular slices of baconcut into ½ inch pieces (see recipe notes)
1medium onionsliced into ½ inch slices
1head of garlicoptional
Walnut parsley pesto
A large bunch of flat leaf parsleystems trimmed a little
½cuppacked basil leaves
75gwalnuts¾ cup - 1 cup
42gparmesanabout ½ cup, grated
3clovesgarlic
Instructions
Roasted delicata squash with bacon
Preheat oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place the sliced delicata squash in a large bowl (see recipe notes on cutting / slicing the delicata squash). Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and oil, and toss to coat evenly.
Place the slices on the baking tray, in one layer. Place the garlic head (if using) on the tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes.
Pull the tray out of the oven and sprinkle the bacon and onions on top. Bake for a further 10 minutes.
Again, pull the tray out of the oven, and flip the delicata squash slices over. Bake for a further 15 - 20 minutes until the delicata squash pieces caramelize and the bacon edges crisp.
Remove the tray from the oven, and let it cool down slightly.
Remove the garlic head, and add the pesto over the roasted delicata squash. Add as much as you prefer (I use about ½ the amount made). Toss to combine.
Serve as is, as a side dish.
For breakfast, you can serve this with an egg on top, and with crusty bread slices and the roasted garlic head spread on top.
Walnut parsley pesto
Place the walnuts on a non-stick pan and heat over medium heat until the walnuts are starting to toast.
Remove from the heat and set aside the nuts.
Add all pesto ingredients (except olive oil) into a small food processor, and process until finely minced.
Scrape everything into a bowl and stir in as much olive oil as you like to form a paste. Taste and season with salt if needed. The pesto is now ready to be used.
Notes
See this post for more details on cutting the delicata squash and slicing it into full ring or half ring slices.
Note on bacon
If you’re using bacon that has no fat, then increase the amount of oil. I like to use butter for extra flavor.Change the amount of bacon depending on how many people you're serving. 2 - 3 servings = 9 slices of bacon 4 servings = 9 - 12 slices of bacon