2 ½oz(70 grams) soft dairy-free cheese(done in the style of a ricotta or other spreadable cheese, see notes)
fresh lemon juice, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut the ends off of the delicata squashes and then cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut each half into ½ inch slices. Place the slices on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread out in an even layer and then roast until golden brown and soft, about 40 minutes. Flip the pieces over at the halfway point.
While squash is roasting make the rosemary granola. Place a medium saute pan over medium heat. Combine the rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, and nigella seeds (if using) in the saute pan and stir until a toasty aroma develops and the pumpkin seeds are beginning to pop, about 5 minutes.
Push the toasted oats and seeds to the outer edge of the pan. Then, add the remaining olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup, the rosemary, and some salt and pepper into the center of the pan. Quickly stir that up and then stir it all into the oats and seeds until evenly coated. Keep the pan over medium heat, stirring constantly for another 2 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and transfer the granola to a plate to cool and crisp up.
Rinse and wipe out the pan and return it to medium heat. Pour in the remaining ⅓ cup of maple syrup, the chillies, sumac, and a few grinds of black pepper. Let it come to a boil, and then lightly simmer this mixture for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Take it off the heat.
To serve, spread the soft vegan cheese out on the base of your serving plate/platter. Arrange the warm roasted delicata squash on top of the soft cheese. Drizzle the squash with the spiced maple syrup and sprinkle the rosemary granola on top. Serve with a hearty lemon wedge on the side.
Recipe Notes
The spiced maple syrup and savoury granola treatment would work well with basically any type of roasted squash. Honeynut, butternut, acorn, kabocha etc!
You could definitely make the rosemary granola ahead of time. Just store the fully cooled granola in a jar on the counter for 5-6 days. The spiced maple syrup thickens considerably, so I do recommend making that right before you need it.
I used Treeline’s soft French style cheese in the scallion flavour as my soft vegan cheese of choice.
This roasted delicata squash is such a beautiful veggie side dish! Golden slices of delicata squash are piled on top of soft vegan cheese, and then drizzled with a spiced maple syrup, and finished with crisp, savoury rosemary granola. This dish comes together with 10 main ingredients in 40 minutes. Perfect as a unique side for a holiday gathering or just a nice Fall dinner.