Tomorrow marks the first day of fall, and I couldn’t be more excited about fall cooking, so I wanted to share my recipe for roasted squash with chili oil and goat cheese. It might still be 85 degrees outside in Southern California, but the nights are finally starting to cool off, which makes it perfect to roast vegetables. One of my favorite things about fall is all of the different squash varieties available.
Note that this recipe uses a delicata squash, but you really could use any variety you come across. Just be mindful that I chose a delicata squash for this recipe because it doesn’t require any peeling, so if you do decide to use a different variety of squash, you may have to peel it. This article does a good job explaining what varieties of squash should be peeled, and what varieties you can cook with the skin on.
Roasted Squash with Chili Oil and Goat Cheese
- 1 delicata squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- 3 ounces goat cheese
Chili Oil
- ½ cup sunflower or canola oil
- 4 large cloves of garlic
- 15 dried chili de arbol peppers
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
Wash outside of squash and pat dry. Slice off the ends, then cut lengthwise (hot dog style) down the middle of the squash. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and discard them. Then place the squash halves cut side down on a cutting board. Slice into ¼ inch slices. This will leave you with ¼ inch thick half-moons.
Place the sliced squash in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs, and toss to combine. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Place squash on baking sheet in one even layer, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender and slightly golden brown.
While the squash is cooking, work on the chili oil. You can make the chili oil yourself, or you can cheat and mix ½ cup of oil with three to four tablespoons of sambal, (or your favorite chili sauce) one clove of crushed garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of lemon zest.
If you’re making the chili oil yourself, it can stay in the fridge for a while, and gets better with time. All you have to do is place everything in the food processor and blend until you get the consistency you want. I like mine pretty blended.
Once the squash is done, remove from the oven and place it on a serving platter. Drizzle the squash with the chili oil (as much as you like depending on how hot you want it) and top with the crumbled goat cheese. This roasted squash with chili oil and goat cheese makes a great side dish, a great topping for salads, or a great vegetarian meal option! Enjoy!