Paleo/Whole30-Friendly Roasted Delicata Squash Hash
It’s fall! I know that for lots of people, fall is a favorite season. And, what’s not to like? The weather gets cooler (unless you live in the southern USA like we do😉), the leaves turn to beautiful warm colors, and lovely fall produce becomes readily available. We belong to a really flexible Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program where each week we pick out locally grown produce to support our local farmer, Wild Onion Farms. We joined this CSA after my sister encouraged me to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The author decided to live off of the commercial food grid for a year and only ate what she grew herself or could purchase locally. It helped raise our awareness about the benefits of eating organic and locally. Our CSA has been a great way to do both, and last week our farmer had delicata squash available.
Delicata squash runs in the small to medium range. Like most fall squash varieties, it has a hard stem and a center cavity filled with seeds that need to be scooped out before cooking. They are also a very healthy fruit (yup- they have seeds, so they are technically fruit) and contain vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, fiber, and beta-carotene. They are typically a bright yellow color and have indented green and orange stripes. But, the really neat thing about delicata squash is that, unlike its more firm-skinned relatives (acorn, butternut, or spaghetti squash), you don’t need to peel them! That is a game changer and makes this squash variety a much more time-friendly ingredient.
I developed this simple recipe to save some time during the week by prepping my ingredients over the weekend.
Because of the various food allergies and dietary restrictions my family and I have, we pretty much do not eat out. Although we have rice and some dairy products, many of our recipes are paleo or Whole30-friendly. Menu planning is a topic for another post, but you can be sure that my weekends are usually marathon cooking events. The goal is to prepare enough food so that each weeknight meal is either pre-cooked or mostly prepped when I get home from work.
Getting ingredients ready on the prep night
While this recipe’s ingredients can be cooked in a skillet, I have found that roasting the sweet potatoes, squash and red pepper ensure that they all cook evenly and do not fall apart when they are combined in the pan. Parcooking the sweet potatoes during the prep night is particularly important as it speeds up cooking time in the oven. Also, adding them after they have roasted ensures they do not fall apart in your hash, making it a sludgy mess. I also diced up some paleo-compliant kielbasa, which adds additional seasoning and protein to the dish. After all of the ingredients are prepped, store them in separate containers in the fridge, and they’re ready to go on cook night.
After-work weeknight cooking made easy
On the cook night, take out the refrigerated containers, set the oven to 425⁰, and line two jelly roll pans pans with parchment paper. By the time all of the veggies for roasting are seasoned and tossed with olive oil on the parchment, the oven should be preheated. While they cook, saute the onions in a large skillet, adding the garlic and thyme a little later. Last, throw in the kielbasa. By the time these ingredients are softened and caramelized, all of the roasted vegetables (I know- they’re fruit, but it’s weird to call them roasted fruit) should be ready to toss with the pan ingredients. Carefully fold them so that the potatoes do not get mushy. If your family is like mine and loves a friend egg over anything, serve the hash in bowls with an egg over easy for each person. For us, it made about 6 servings with a little to spare for lunch.
Table of Contents
Roasted Delicata Squash and Sweet Potato Hash
Healthy and delicious delicata squash makes a perfect hash ingredient when mixed with roasted sweet potatoes and red bell peppers and seasoned with aromatic vegetables. Tossed with diced kielbasa and topped with a fried egg, this meal is delicious any time of day!
Notes
By prepping the ingredients a head of time, this recipe makes an easy weeknight meal. Because it goes so well with eggs, it is also a perfect breakfast or brunch dish. The hash reheats well and will keep in the fridge for about 4-5 days.
As long as you use compliant sausage, this recipe is also a perfect go-to for paleo and Whole30-friendly meals.
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (1 to 1 ½ lbs) skin on
- 3-4 medium delicata squash (about 2 lbs), seeded and cut in ½” dice
- 3 red peppers, 1/2” dice
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 oz-16 oz Kielbasa cut into ¾” dice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided in half
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 4-6 eggs, sunny side up or over easy (optional)
Instructions
- On your prep night: Using a fork, poke holes all around the sweet potatoes and parcook in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. The sweet potatoes should not be fully cooked when this is done. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes and cut into ½” cubes.
- Chop all of the vegetables and place in separate containers or zip top bags.
- Chop the kielbasa and place in its own container.
- Refrigerate all ingredients until your cook night.
- On your cook night: Preheat the oven to 425⁰ and line two 12” x 17” jelly roll pans with parchment paper.
- Add delicata squash to one pan and add parcooked sweet potatoes and red bell peppers to the other pan. Season both pans of vegetables with salt and pepper and toss with 1½ Tbsp olive oil each. Place both pans in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the sweet potato and red pepper, which should be soft and browned. Turn the delicata squash and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the squash is cooked through and browned.
- While the vegetables are roasting in the oven, add the remaining ½ Tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet and cook the onions for 5-6 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and thyme, stirring to prevent the vegetables from burning- about 2 minutes. Add the kielbasa slices and cook until fragrant and kielbasa browns slightly.
- Add the roasted vegetables to the kielbasa and aromatics and gently toss to combine.
- Serve the hash on its own or, as we prefer it, with an egg over easy!
Anyone else try delicata squash? Any recipes you can share?
