Acorn Squash with a Greek Flavor

Today we are going to have fun with fall squash and give it a Greek flavor. And no, that does not mean feta cheese... I'm talking about honey!

My favorite breakfast is 2 slices of toast with a light touch of butter and honey drizzled on top while the toast is still hot. This is a breakfast that my Grandparents in Greece made along with toast with olive oil and sugar sprinkled on top. 

Greek honey is usually a thick thyme or wildflower honey. It has a deep, rich flavor; it isn't just "sweet." A little goes a long way. Recently, my mom gave me a jar of Greek honey and I have been putting it on everything! 

I bought an acorn squash and was looking for some fun fall recipes to try with it, but everything was butter and brown sugar. I wanted to try something different. I was eating my butter and honey toast and thought: why not add some Greek flavor to this squash? I decided to make it with walnuts and honey and sprinkled some cinnamon on top. I sliced it in half and baked it with a little butter, crushed walnuts and honey. It was so good! It tasted like I was eating a Greek dessert! There you go – Baklava but healthier!

I like cooking the squash halves upside down first to roast for 30 minutes and then turning them over, adding the seasonings and cooking again for 30 minutes. I felt that the ingredient quantities were just right for me, but obviously, you could use more butter, honey and walnuts as you want.

What is your favorite way to make acorn squash? 

Honey-Walnut Acorn Squash

by The Cooking Accountant 

Ingredients

• 1 medium acorn squash
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp butter
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped 
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 pinch cinnamon (if desired)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Carefully cut acorn squash in half lengthwise (tip to tip) and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. 

Drizzle olive oil in the pan. 

Place squash in pan, cut side down. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

Take the squash out of the oven but leave the oven on (you will put it back in). 

Turn both squash halves over carefully with kitchen tongs so that the cut side is facing up. Since you cut it lengthwise, they should stay still and not roll around. 

Add butter into each cavity (where you scooped out the seeds). Sprinkle each half with chopped walnuts. Drizzle honey on top of each half. 

Now put them back in the oven for another 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle with cinnamon. Let them cool down a little bit and cut each half into 4 pieces. 

Enjoy! Kali Orexi! 

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 1 hour  Yield: 4 servings