Roasted Onion Squash with Gnocchi, Blue Cheese & Caramelised Pecans
A comforting, wholesome dish that celebrates autumn’s best flavours.
This delicious recipe, originally inspired by one from Ocado, has been adapted to make the most of seasonal ingredients. It takes around an hour to cook, but the result is so worth the wait.
Using vibrant squash and sweet potato, it’s a beautiful balance of salty, savoury, and sweet, with maple-glazed pecans adding the perfect crunch.
Squash and sweet potatoes are rich in carotenoids that support immune health, while onion and garlic provide prebiotics to nourish your gut. The blue cheese brings probiotic goodness and a deliciously salty tang, and the pecans deliver essential fatty acids for heart and brain health.
Naturally gluten free, this dish can be enjoyed on its own with steamed kale or a crisp green salad, or served alongside roast chicken for a hearty meal, the perfect comfort food for cooler nights.
INGREDIENTS
650g mix of seasonal squash and sweet potato (I used red onion squash)
2 tbsp olive oil
100g red onion, sliced
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish
1 tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp ground cinnamon
100g pecans, roughly broken
3 tbsp maple syrup
Pinch of flaky sea salt
500g fresh gnocchi
150g blue cheese, cubed
STEP BY STEP
Roast the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Place the squash and sweet potato in a large roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil, then scatter over the red onion, thyme, cinnamon, and half the chilli flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until tender and beginning to caramelise.
Toast and glaze the pecans
Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove from the heat, add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a pinch of flaky sea salt, and the remaining chilli flakes. Toss to coat, then tip onto a plate to cool.
Bake with gnocchi
Stir the gnocchi into the roasted vegetables along with the remaining tablespoon of maple syrup. Return to the oven and bake for a further 25 minutes, until golden and crisp around the edges.
Add the finishing touches
Scatter the blue cheese over the gnocchi and bake for another 5 minutes, just until melted. Finish with the glazed pecans and a few extra thyme leaves.
Serve warm and enjoy every salty-sweet, crunchy-creamy bite.
