Christmas

Roasted Delicata Squash With Crunchy Kale & Feta

April 24, 2021
4
8 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten. Food stylist: Anna Billingskog. Prop stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 4 as a side
Author Notes

The kale here becomes very crunchy and charred, almost like toasted and crumbled nori, and nicely contrasts the soft texture of the squash, with the red pepper flakes and crumbled feta adding a spicy and salty balance to its sweetness.

You could also serve this with cooked farro or pearled couscous for more of a grain bowl situation, with some sliced avocado on top. Sumac has a bright, lemony taste and can also be sprinkled directly on the vegetables, before or after cooking, if you’d like, or skip it and add a bit of lemon zest and a touch more salt to the tahini spread.

Note: If you’re going to plate the vegetables, then you can spoon the spread onto the bottom of the plate, then place the vegetables on top rather than serving it on the side. Store any leftover sauce covered in the refrigerator for up to a week, freshening it up with lemon juice before serving. —yasminfahr

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 (about 5 to 6 ounces) delicata squash, ends trimmed, seeds removed and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick half moons
  • 1 bunch lacinato or curly kale, leaves removed from the stems and torn into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac, plus more for sprinkling on top
  • 1 pinch cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly torn (optional)
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack positioned in the lower third of the oven.
  2. On a sheet pan, coat the squash and kale with the olive oil, then season with the cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt, until everything has a glossy sheen to it. Be sure to squeeze the kale leaves with your hands as you mix. Arrange the vegetables on the sheet pan, ensuring the squash pieces have contact with the pan and arranging the kale in empty spaces. The pan will be a little crowded, but the kale leaves will quickly shrink.
  3. Roast in the oven until the squash is easily pierced with a fork and the kale crispy, 25 to 30 minutes, turning the squash over and mixing around the kale halfway into the roasting time.
  4. Meanwhile, in a small serving bowl, whisk the tahini with the 1/4 cup water until it becomes a smooth, spreadable hummus-like consistency. Whisk in the juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons), sumac, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Loosen with more lemon or water if needed, or add more tahini to thicken. Sprinkle some sumac on top, if desired.
  5. Remove the vegetables from the oven. Pour the remaining lemon juice on top, drizzle with olive oil, and top with the crumbled feta, pepper, and parsley, if using. Serve with the sumac-tahini sauce

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • N Van Kirk
    N Van Kirk
  • Nicole
    Nicole
Yasmin is a recipe developer and cookbook author. Her first book, Keeping it Simple, is full of easy, weeknight one-pot recipes. Say hi to her online @yasminfahr!

2 Reviews

N V. December 4, 2021
This is a wonderful way to serve squash and kale. It was so good my husband and I finished the entire tray. I did increase the sumac in the tahini sauce since we really love sumac. Spread the sauce on the bottom of a platter and top with squash and then kale. That way every spoon full contains everything.
 
Nicole April 24, 2021
tons of flavor with little work - this recipe will be on regular rotation

I threw it over some quinoa for a satisfying meal