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–+ servings
Ebonie Garnica

Roasted Acorn Squash with Dates, Pumpkin Seeds and Goat Cheese

A Full GAPS side of roasted acorn squash with ghee, quartered dates, garlic, finished prepared pumpkin seeds and optional raw or traditionally cultured goat cheese. Add the seeds and cheese after the ten-minute rest; use introduced ingredients.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Rest 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Full GAPS, Side Dish
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 acorn squash seeded and cut into wedges of similar thickness
  • 2 tablespoons homemade ghee finished ghee, ready to coat the squash
  • 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
  • 1 cup additive-free Medjool dates pitted and quartered; no added sugar, starch, sorbates or sulfites
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup prepared pumpkin seeds measure after soaking, drying and cooling; use the linked plain preparation
  • 1/4 cup plain raw or traditionally cultured goat cheese crumbled; optional. Already introduced; no non-GAPS additives. Check how an unfamiliar cheese was fermented.

Equipment

  • Sharp knife, sturdy spoon and stable cutting board
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Large rimmed baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Tongs
  • Fork for the tenderness check
  • Serving platter
  • Shallow covered containers for leftovers

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven and prepare the pan. Heat to 400°F with a rack in the middle. Line the large baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Coat the wedges. Toss the squash with the measured ghee and salt. Coat the cut surfaces, then spread the wedges in one layer rather than stacking them.
  3. Roast, turn and add the dates. Roast for thirty minutes. Turn each wedge carefully with tongs. Scatter the minced garlic and quartered dates over and around the squash. Keep the garlic with the food rather than on exposed bare areas of the hot pan, where it can scorch.
  4. Finish roasting. Return the sheet to the oven for another twelve minutes. Check the thickest wedge with a fork: it should slide into the flesh without resistance. The cut surfaces should be browned and the dates softened at the edges. If a thick piece is still firm, continue roasting and check again.
  5. Rest and finish. Let the sheet rest for ten minutes. Transfer the squash and dates to a platter, then sprinkle on the measured prepared pumpkin seeds and the goat cheese, if using. Serve warm. Eat the soft flesh and leave any rind that remains tough.

Notes

Prepared components: Have the homemade ghee and finished prepared pumpkin seeds ready before beginning. Measure the seeds after soaking, drying and cooling. That advance preparation is not included in the roasted dish's cooking time.
Timing: The oven stages are thirty minutes, then twelve minutes after turning and adding dates and garlic. The forty-five-minute cook time is a rounded planning estimate. Allow the ten-minute rest before topping; check the thickest wedge with a fork. Cutting and actual roasting can take longer.
Cheese: Choose plain raw or traditionally cultured goat cheese after its dairy introduction. For an unfamiliar cheese, check how it was fermented and whether ingredients were added afterward. Prefer mature, traditionally fermented cheese. Omit the quarter cup if cheese is not being used; other measures stay unchanged. Ghee is still dairy-derived.
Full GAPS: Use after the ingredients have been introduced. Prepared seeds belong after diarrhea and abdominal pain have settled. The dates are cooked with the squash; no extra sweetener is included.
Scaling: This recipe makes about four servings. A doubled batch makes about eight. Use enough baking-sheet space for a single layer. Ingredient amounts double; roasting time does not automatically double.
Storage: Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers, within two hours, or one hour above 90°F. Use refrigerated leftovers within three to four days. Reheat the cooked squash and dates to 165°F, then add reserved seeds and cheese. Keep seeds separate to retain their crunch.

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