I have been roasting root vegetables, squash, broccoli, that sort of thing, for winters past. Never have I ever roasted fruit. As with roasting vegetables, roasting fruit or citrus concentrates the flavor and gives the sweetness more depth. The addition of ground ginger, ground cardamom, fresh thyme, and lemon to both the squash and pears before roasting was just what I had on hand. The combination turned into a harmonious mix of lemony-baking spice flavors that worked well with the thyme. Onions add as an aromatic and keeping the skins on the squash and the stem on the pear gave the whole dish a rustic feel. Let this dish lead the way to roasting your other favorite fruits.
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California Love – Spice Roasted Pear and Squash
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Spiced roasted pears and acorn squash that taste of lemony- baking spice flavors with a rounded sweetness.
Ingredients
- 2 pears, firm and ripe, cored and halved
- 1 acorn squash, cleaned and cut in 1" slices
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed
- 1 lemon, 1/2 for juice and whole rind for roasting
- 2 tbs. (30 ml) olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste, about 1 tsp salt. 1/2 tsp. pepper
- parchment paper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425*F.
- Gently toss all ingredients together.
- Lay out squash, onion and lemon on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Lay pears, skin side down, on a separate parchment lined baking sheet and place in the oven 15 minutes AFTER the squash, so to be removed at the same time.
- Take out both baking sheets and check that squash is tender and slightly browned and pears are slightly wilted.
- Serve together, enjoy & repeat!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 120
Photographer: Nick Simonite 
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Lemon and Butternut Squash Soup
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- Smokey Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
- Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the pears roasted on a separate baking sheet and added to the oven 15 minutes after the squash?
The acorn squash needs 40 minutes in a 425°F oven, while the pears need only 25 minutes. By putting the squash in first and adding the pears 15 minutes later, both finish at the same time. The pears go skin-side down on their own sheet to roast evenly.
Why does the recipe keep the squash skins and pear stems on during roasting?
The article explains that keeping the skins on the squash slices and the stem on the pear gave the whole dish a rustic feel — it is a deliberate aesthetic and textural choice rather than an oversight.
