Mexican Roasted Delicata Squash Bowls are guaranteed to become one of your new favorite recipes! They're healthy and vegan, but most importantly, they're so incredibly flavorful!
These bowls start with a base of warm quinoa, topped with taco seasoned roasted delicata squash, creamy avocado and fresh veggies. They're finished off with a drizzle of THE BEST Creamy Chipotle Sauce! I guarantee you'll fall in love with this winning combination of flavors!
Delicata squash might not be as well known as other winter squash varieties, like butternut squash or spaghetti squash, but it's actually one of my favorite types of squash!
It has a wonderful, sweet flavor. It's versatile and delicious in a number of different recipes. And because the skin is so thin, the squash doesn't need to be peeled, making it easier to prepare and cook than other varieties of squash.
I've become obsessed with roasting delicata squash over the last 6 months. It's so easy to cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, then slice it up and toss it with a number of different seasonings, before quickly roasting it in the oven.
Roasted delicata squash is delicious on bowls, salads or even on it's own as an appetizer! I promise, after just one try, you're going to be hooked on this delicious squash variety!
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Step by step instructions
- Select a delicata squash that is approximately one pound. Slice the ends off of the squash.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the squash in half lengthwise through the middle.
- Use a fork to scoop out the seeds from the middle of the squash.
- Slice the squash into ½ inch strips.
- Toss the squash with sliced jalapenos, minced garlic, olive oil and taco seasoning. Place in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in a 425°F oven for 20 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender.
- Quick Tip! You can omit the jalapenos if you're not a fan of spice!
- Place cooked quinoa in the bottom of two bowls, top with the roasted squash, mixed baby greens, sliced red onions, sliced avocado and fresh chopped cilantro. Drizzle Creamy Chipotle Sauce over the bowls.
Easy as that, in 30 minutes, you've made your new favorite bowl recipe! Always remember to prepare the quinoa before starting the recipe. My post on How To Cook Quinoa 3 Ways, will show you how to make it in an Instant Pot, rice cooker, or on the stove.
Each of these methods will cook the quinoa in 35 minutes or less, with the Instant Pot being the fastest cooking method at just 20 minutes. Starting the quinoa before you roast the squash, means it will be ready to go after the squash has roasted!
Frequently asked questions
- Can you eat the skin of a delicata squash? Yes! That's one of the things that I love about delicata squash is that it does not need to be peeled, making the squash easy to prepare. The skin of delicata squash is so thin that the texture is tender and delicious after it's roasted in the oven.
- Is delicata squash healthy? Yes! Delicata squash is a good source of fiber and potassium. It also contains vitamins C and B, magnesium and manganese.
- Can I use a different kind of squash to make these bowls? Yes! Delicata squash is generally only found fresh during the fall and winter months at the grocery store. If you can't find it during these months, you can also use acorn squash in it's place.
- In the off-season you can use cubed butternut squash, which can generally be found in the freezer section year-round.
- You can also use diced sweet potatoes instead of squash. After all, delicata squash is also known as "sweet potato squash" because of it's sweet flavor.
How to make the bowl low carb
- Ditch the quinoa for Mexican Cauliflower Rice. This will reduce the total carbs per bowl from 72 grams down to 48 grams, when substituting 1 cup of cooked quinoa for 1 cup of cooked Mexican cauliflower rice. This will also reduce the net carbs from 58 grams down to 37 net carbs.
How to meal prep the bowls
- For Storage
- Prepare the squash according to the recipe instructions.
- Divide the roasted squash between two storage containers, each with 1 cup of cooked quinoa.
- Divide the mixed greens and onions between two small zipper bags and place each one in the container with the squash and quinoa.
- Wrap ¼ avocado in plastic wrap and place in one of the containers, then repeat with the other ¼ avocado in the second container.
- Place the creamy chipotle sauce in two separate small containers and add them to the larger containers with the other ingredients.
- To Reheat and Eat
- Remove the bag of mixed greens and onions, avocado and creamy chipotle sauce from the large container.
- Heat the squash and quinoa for 2 minutes in the microwave.
- Add the greens, sliced onions and avocado to the container.
- Top with the creamy chipotle sauce.
Add a protein to the bowls
- For a plant based protein addition to this bowl, add ½ cup black beans to each bowl.
- Black beans can be drained and rinsed from a can and added directly to the bowl with the greens and avocado.
- This will add 7 grams of protein to each bowl for a total of 20 grams of protein per bowl.
- For a meat based protein addition to this bowl, add roasted chicken.
- The chicken can be baked in the oven alongside the delicata squash.
- Pound 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to 1 inch thickness, or slice a chicken breast in half through the middle to make thinner pieces of chicken. This will allow the chicken to roast at the same time and temperature as the squash.
- Drizzle olive oil over the chicken breasts, then sprinkle with taco seasoning.
- Place the chicken on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at the same time and temperature as the squash.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, slice or dice the chicken and add it to the bowl.
More vegan bowls to try
- Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowl
- Roasted Summer Squash Quinoa Bowl
- Low Carb Vegan Fajita Bowl
- Za'atar Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl
- Sweet Potato Vegan Burrito Bowl
- Crispy Asian Brussels Sprouts Bowl
- Mango Smoothie Bowl
Recipe
Mexican Roasted Delicata Squash Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound delicata squash seeded and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup mixed baby greens
- ½ avocado thinly sliced
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup vegan chipotle sauce click link for the recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Slice the squash in half lengthwise, through the middle, use a fork to remove the seeds from the middle of the squash.
- Slice the squash into ½ inch strips.
- Toss the slices of delicata squash, minced garlic and sliced jalapenos with the olive oil and taco seasoning.
- Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Divide the cooked quinoa between two bowls.
- Top with the roasted squash, mixed baby greens, sliced avocado, red onion and fresh cilantro.
- Drizzle with creamy chipotle sauce.
Notes
- Delicata squash does not need to be peeled. The skin of the squash is so thin that the texture is tender and delicious after it’s roasted in the oven.
- Delicata Squash Substitute: If delicata squash is not in season, or can't be found, you can use cubed butternut squash or diced sweet potatoes in place of the delicata squash.
- This bowl is naturally vegan and gluten free.
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