Roasted delicata squash is buttery, nutty, and sweet. We love this recipe with garlic and parmesan. It’s easy enough for tonight and works beautifully as a holiday side!
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Creamy, sweet delicata squash is my favorite winter squash. It’s easy to prepare, there’s no need to peel the skin, and it cooks quickly. It’s delicious with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and olive oil, but in this recipe, we bump up the flavors and add butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese. This dish works equally well for your next weeknight meal or entertaining friends and family over the holidays.
What Does Delicata Squash Taste Like?
Delicata squash is a winter squash that tastes similar to other winter squash, like butternut squash. I’ve heard people describe it as a cross between butternut squash and sweet potato, which seems fitting since it’s nutty and a little bit buttery with a lovely sweetness.

Do You Really Eat the Peel?
I particularly love delicata squash because its peel is thin and, when roasted, adds a lovely texture to each bite. So, you do not need to peel this squash. Trust me.
Roasted Delicata Squash with Parmesan and Garlic
Our recipe below plays with the buttery, nutty flavor of the squash. We roast slices with melted butter, parmesan cheese, and garlic. The squash smells incredible as it roasts in the oven and tastes even better when done. We served this to a good friend who isn’t the biggest winter squash fan, and she loved it! Win!

Since we roast the squash slices on top of the cheese and garlic, they melt down to create a lovely, cheesy crust on the bottom of each slice. They look beautiful and taste amazing.
More Fall and Winter Sides
- Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
- Roasted Acorn Squash with Cranberries
- Parmesan Lemon Baked Spaghetti Squash
- No-Fail Method for How to Cook Mushrooms

Parmesan Garlic Delicata Squash
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Roasted delicata squash is buttery, nutty, and sweet. We love this recipe with garlic and parmesan. It’s easy enough for tonight and works beautifully as a holiday side.
There is no need to peel the squash. The peel is thin and is delicious once roasted.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 medium delicata squash, about 1 ¼ pounds
2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 small cloves
3 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
1 ½ ounces grated parmesan cheese, about 1/3 cup
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Heat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Set a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish aside. You can also use a rimmed baking sheet.
2Cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut each squash half into ¾-inch-thick slices.
3In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter and garlic.
4Spread half of the melted butter and the garlic over the bottom of the baking dish.
5Sprinkle all but two tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese on top.
6Arrange squash slices on top of the cheese. Drizzle the remaining butter mixture over the squash and use your fingers to spread it over each piece. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
7Bake the delicata squash for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and tender. You might need to rotate the dish in the oven once during roasting to prevent the back bits of garlic from over-browning. It’s okay if some cheese stays on the dish, it is easy to scrape up and serve sprinkled on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Vegetarian substitutions: Use a vegetarian-friendly cheese like cheddar instead of the parmesan.
- Vegan substitutions: Use olive oil or a vegan butter and substitute the parmesan cheese with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, vegan cheese, or leave the “cheese” out completely.
- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
SO good
So glad you loved it 🙂
Thank you. The beautiful pictures of glazed delicata was what prompted me to try this recipe. The flavors far exceeded the promise of the picture. The words gourmet, outstanding, truly delicious and thank you were heard at the dinner table tonight. It was our first time trying delicata, thanks for making it such a good experience.
Had to comment because this recipe is PHENOMENAL. My husband and I served it alongside crab cakes. It is the best squash dish we’ve ever cooked. Felt like a fine dining preparation for squash.
Absolutely phenomenal recipe! Made it with butter versus olive oil. The mixture of butter garlic and Parmesan on bottom of parchment lined panGot beautifully crispy. I did turn the oven down to 400 the last five minutes as with the butter it was getting dark. Inspired taste is true to its name! 6stars!
Wow, 6 stars! We are thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe so much.
We loved this recipe. We had never eaten Delicata before. I did add a little chili flakes which were delicious.
I love how you add a vegan option for us plant based people! I have made your black bean burger recipe and have consistently used it over all the other ones I’ve tried. Simple, easy & delicious! Thank you. PS : love the new kitchen !
5 stars. Absolutely delicious. Very easy to make. My husband and brother liked the squash very much.
Hi Karen, We are thrilled that you all enjoyed the squash. We were surprised with how delicious is was when we first made it, too. Thanks for your feedback!