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A healthy recipe for red kuri squash, tossed with shredded kale and a delicious lemon tahini sauce. Red Kuri squash, also known as orange Hokkaido pumpkin doesn’t have to be peeled before roasting, and the skin is edible! Add almonds for a bit of crunch, and serve this dish as a main or a side dish for Thanksgiving.
Don’t get me wrong, I love well known types of squash like butternut and acorn. But there’s a whole world of other varieties that I think deserve your love and attention.
Red kuri squash was the focus of an entire section in my cookbook. And for good reason – it’s one of absolute favorites in the winter squash family. This glowing orange, tear dropped shaped variety has a savory-sweet, buttery flavor, that gets even richer as it roasts.
Yes, the thin skin is edible! Not having to peel is a complete win in my books when it comes to squash.
In this fall hybrid recipe (it doesn’t hinge on the greens), the roasted red kuri with its golden flesh, is the star! With supporting roles coming from:
a tangle of massaged kale,
a creamy coating of lemon tahini sauce,
crunchy bursts from heirloom marcona almonds,
and a smoky dusting of harissa spice.
One of the reasons I love to cook with red kuri squash is because you don’t have to peel it! The skin softens beautifully in the oven and is edible.
So all you need to do is scoop out the seeds and cut it into wedges.
To do this:
I’ll probably make this roasted red kuri squash recipe most often as a side dish for gatherings, but we found it worked as main-course material too! To make things easy for entertaining, you can prepare the components a day ahead of time, then toss together up to an hour before serving
It’s deceptively filling and satisfying. In fact, we ate it two days in a row for lunch.
SCALE:
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Delicious and simple! I ended up having to broil for 5 minutes or so at the end to get a bit of a caramelized flavor. I also roasted the thick seeds with masala spice.
Glad you enjoyed it, Maria!
I LOVED this recipe so much I decided to share it with my patients for a seasonal eastern nutritional treat that’s hormone healthy. The lemony tahini flavors with the kuri squash were absolutely divine!
Yay! So glad you liked it. And thank you for sharing it with others.
I can’t eat nightshades so the harissa/cayenne is out. Would you suggest mustard powder? Or wasabi powder?
Hello! I would actually suggest a bit of crushed dried thyme and rosemary instead. Will still be delicious!
Oh yes, these are all of the flavors that I love. I could drink that sauce with a spoon! xx