Your new favourite winter appetizer or side dish is this delicata squash with hot honey butter walnuts and lemon ricotta. Yum!

Scale

1 large delicata squash, sliced in half lengthwise, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pomegranate arils, for garnish

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Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sliced squash and garlic on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread out in an even layer and roast for 20-25 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.
Meanwhile, make the whipped ricotta: Place the ricotta, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process until whipped and fluffy.
Make the honey buttered walnuts: In a large skillet, melt the butter and honey over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble and smells toasted, add the hot red pepper flakes and walnuts. Stir to coat the walnuts in the butter and cook just until the walnuts are lightly browned and fragrant.
To serve, spread the whipped ricotta on a serving platter. Top with the roasted squash, walnuts, and pomegranate. Enjoy!

If delicata squash is unavailable where you live, use butternut, acorn, or kabocha squash instead.

To make a vegan version of this recipe, replace the whipped ricotta with my tofu ricotta and use vegan butter and maple syrup in the walnuts.

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