I eat a lot of delicata squash in the fall and winter months. I usually prepare a sheet pan or two at a time, changing up the spices that I marinate and roast them in because I’m hip like that. Instead of slicing the squash in half length-wise and preparing half-moons, I opted to preserve the full ring shape and bake an egg inside of it. It’s a solid dish for any meal of the day.
Recipe: Delicata squash rounds with baked eggs
Gluten-free • celiac-friendly!
Ingredients:
2 delicata squash (roughly about a 1.5 pounds), skins/exterior washed and dried (You can eat the skins of delicata, so washing and drying the squash is an important step.)
2 Tablespoons of avocado oil, coconut oil, or higher-heat friendly oil of your choice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoons of cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Eggs - however many you plan to bake, or poach, in the rounds.
Note: The size of the eggs doesn’t matter, but the size of the egg and the thickness of the delicata slices will determine if the egg whites overflow out of the delicata rounds. For this recipe, I used large eggs, so you can see the egg whites spilled out slightly. Still delicious!
Instructions:
Preparing & roasting the squash:
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
Trim ends of the delicata squash. Slice in half horizontally, then scoop out the inside of the squash halves. After scooping, slice these squash halves into 1/3 to 1/2-inch thick rings using a sharp knife. Ensure they are all the same size so that they roast evenly.
In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, spices of your choice*, and salt. (*Use the spices that I listed in the ingredients list or choose whichever spices you most enjoy for roasted root vegetables.)
Add your squash rounds to the bowl, and toss or stir until all sides of the squash are well-coated in the oil-spice mixture.
Place the squash rings in a single layer on the lined baking sheets, and place them in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the rings are golden brown.
At this point, you have two options:
Option 1: Finish cooking the squash: Turn the tray 180 degrees and then bake for another 10-15 minutes or until squash rounds are browned to your liking on both sides. Once done, remove from the oven and enjoy warm, or for a later use.
Option 2: Bake eggs into as many of the squash rounds as you want. Remove the tray of delicata rounds from the oven and carefully crack eggs into as many rounds as you’d like. (If you feel more comfortable cracking the eggs first into a small bowl or ramekin and then pouring them into the squash rounds, please do!) You’ll likely have more delicata slices than eggs here; no need to remove the eggless delicata rounds from the tray while waiting for those with eggs in them to set. The remaining squash will continue roasting. Bake your squash and eggs until the whites are cooked, around 8 to 10 minutes.
Enjoy! Top with fresh herbs, hot sauce, or condiments of your choice, or eat as-is.
Variations/Notes:
*If you previously prepared your squash, take a squash round or two and reheat it in a frying pan over medium heat with a fat of your choice (butter, olive oil, etc.) Crack an egg or eggs into the rounds. Cover with a lid, allowing the squash to reheat and the eggs to poach or steam until the eggs white is cooked and the yoke is to your desired doneness.
