Mashed Acorn Squash with Rosemary Maple Walnuts

Topped with toasted rosemary maple walnuts, this dish has that creamy/crunchy contrasting texture thing going on that totally elevates it. They also provide some of the acid that is needed in every dish, along with with good fats (13g/oz polyunsaturated and 2.5g/oz monounsaturated fat).

You’ll notice I didn’t scoop out the seeds before roasting. There’s no need to! That’s to make things easier – they slide right out with a spoon after coming out of the oven, rather than struggling to dig them out and fly all over the kitchen.

And did you know that roasting the squash with the seeds allows the flavorful oils they have to carry into the flesh?  Major bonus.

One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it’s not overly sweet, like mashed sweet potatoes can be. The roasted garlic and rosemary add so much savory depth! And it’s creamy, but not in a gluey way.

You can make this ahead of time, up to two days in advance. Just wait to top it with the toasted walnuts until serving so they don’t lose their crunch.

If you make this mashed acorn squash recipe, tag me on Instagram @heartbeetkitchen, or with hashtag #heartbeetkitchen!

And for more squash recipes for all your cozy winter meals, I have several of them HERE.

Now for the house !! news.

Well, it’s been a whirlwind. Knee deep in a kitchen remodel creating my dream space to work and cook in, we found the home we’d been dreaming of for over two years. And not only did we find it, but our offer was accepted in a turbulent, competitive housing market, and it’s ours!

This old house, built in 1908…. is now ours. 🏠❤️. It happened fast, and it happened unexpectedly. When you find something that feels like the both of you in every way, that says home and not a house, that gives you visions of growing together into another phase of your life —you don’t let it pass by. You sleep on it for a night, have knots in your stomach because change feels scary, but you jump anyways and make an offer the next morning because if you don’t, it’ll be gone. And when it’s accepted, you hug each other tight, and say, “Really? It’s ours? It’s ours.”

Walking into this blue American charmer in a small river town that we love, we knew it was the one. So with that, we’re moving to Hudson, Wisconsin, about 30 minutes from where are now in Minnesota. Things are a bit unsettled, finishing the kitchen remodel and all the other normal things that happen when moving. We will be selling our home here in St Paul, and someone will have the kitchen that would be my everything.

Bittersweet. We’ve spent our entire relationship here together, nearly 9 years of memories in these walls. But it’s time to close one chapter and begin another.
xo,
Amanda