Thank you Mina for sponsoring this post!
(And by TLC, I’m not referring to the greatest R&B girl group of all time. Though, I suppose that we could sing some TLC songs while cooking delicata squash. Anyone want to join the party?)
Delicata squash is one of my favorite things to cook because it is easy to prepare. The skin is soft, so we don’t have to worry about peeling the outer skin. That cuts prep time by 5 about minutes, which means more time to look at cat photos on BuzzFeed. Priorities. The softer skins also means the squash is easier to split open. I don’t have to worry about losing my digits like I do when I am hacking my through a butternut or spaghetti squash. That golden delicata is our friend.
I was in a bit of a mood for spice over the weekend, so I whipped up a batch of roasted delicata with spicy harissa. When it comes to choosing harissa sauces/pastes to cook with, I LOVE using the Mina brand. It’s a bit runnier and smoother than some of the harissa pastes out there, which makes it much more versatile for cooking. For example, I’ve cooked my harissa portobello tacos using Mina harissa and another brand’s harissa paste. Mina, by far, was much easier to work with—the harissa brushed on the portobellos more evenly. When you make this dish (and I know you will because these tacos are crazy delicious), I highly recommend getting yourself a jar of Mina. You won’t regret it!
Now, let’s get spicy!
MASTER LISA’S MISTAKES (AKA COOKING NOTES)
- Get dirty: We want to get this tasty harissa miso sauce around every crevice of the delicata squash pieces. I find it much easier to use my hands to do this than with a spoon.
- Add some broccoli: When I was testing this recipe, I made a batch with roasted broccoli, and it tasted awesome! The florets hold the harissa miso sauce so well, it’s like a flavor explosion when you bite into it.
- Don’t skip the miso: The miso adds a lovely umami to the dish. I tried a batch with just harissa, maple syrup and salt, and it doesn’t compare to this version with miso.
Harissa Miso Delicata Squash Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) delicata squash
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Mina spicy harissa sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 15 ounces can (440g) chickpeas
- salsa
- 1 medium avocado, sliced
- 6 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Rinse the delicata squash. Chop off the ends, and split the squash in half, lengthwise. Dig out the seeds with a spoon, and slice the squash into 1/2-inch thick half moons.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, harissa, miso, maple syrup, and salt. Mix half of this harissa mixture with the delicata squash.
- Spread delicata squash on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, flipping the squash halfway through.
- While the squash is baking, prepare the chickpeas. Drain and rinse chickpeas under cold water. Stir remaining harissa mixture with the chickpeas.
- When there are about 5 minutes left, start heating up the corn tortillas. I placed them right over my gas burner for a few seconds to give the tortillas some charring. The tortillas also heat well in a pan.
- Fill each tortilla with chickpeas, delicata squash, salsa, and a few slices of avocado. Serve immediately.
If you make this recipe, be sure to share your creations with me by tagging me on social media and use the hashtag #hnbeats!
LIKE THE DELICATA SQUASH TACOS? TRY THESE:
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
Truly beautiful tacos! I can’t wait to give them a try!
Lisa says
Thanks, Rachel!!
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
I’ve seen Mina at the store.. and have debated. I usually use ground Harissa, and have been curious about Mina. I need to pick up a jar. Love the creativity of these tacos, Lisa. I would have never thought about putting them in a taco, but I’m looking forward to giving it a go. BTW – your new hand model is doing a great job!! He’s not getting distracted by BuzzFeed Cat photos… but I would be at the computer with you.. distracted!! Thank you for this my dear!
Lisa says
Definitely check out Mina. Their sauce is great for marinades and I like throwing a bit of it in my pasta sauce to give it some heat! I recruited a special hand model for this one. My college friends were visiting that day, so I put of of them to work! Hah!
Julia says
Wow these look fabulous!! I love using harissa and honestly don’t do it enough. Mina’s is the best. I can’t wait to try these.
Lisa says
Thanks, Julia! Glad to know that you love Mina, too!
Sydney | Modern Granola says
These tacos look incredible! I never would have thought to pair harissa and miso together, but really, how could that possibly be bad?! And I didn’t know you could eat the skin of delicata squash- these tacos are teaching me so much about food and life! 😉 I’m excited to try these flavors together!
xx Sydney
Lisa says
Hehe, thanks, Syndey! Yea, not having to peel off the outer skin of delicata squash saves soo much time! Definitely try the harissa/miso pairing soon!
rachel@ Athletic Avocado says
squash in a taco is a great idea! this looks awesome 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks, Rachel!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I think we all have an obligation now to make these for Taco Tuesday 😉
Lisa says
YES!! Thanks, Rebecca!
Erin@WellPlated says
LOVE harissa and the paing with the squash is the perfect sweet/savory mix. *Applause*
Lisa says
Thank you SO much, Erin!!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
I realllllly need to start using delicata squash a bit more! This dish looks divine! I love the added roasted broccoli. Yum!
Lisa says
Thanks, Patricia! Delicata squash is the best!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
I’ve been dreaming about fall-ish tacos lately and now here you are with these beauties! I’m a big fan of delicata and harissa, so I know I’m going to love your version here. And yes to signing TLC. Let’s do it!
Lisa says
I’m pulling out “No Scrubs” from my archives for our singing session!
Lynn @ The Actor's Diet says
I love Delicata Squash but have never actually made anything with it. What a perfect, simple recipe!
Lisa says
Thanks, Lynn!!
Amy | Club Narwhal says
Lisa, I am DROOLING like crazy! I’ve never made this squash before but you make it look fabulous as tacos!
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Amy!!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
YUM. These are some of the best tacos I have seen! I just LOVE the harissa and miso combination.. two of my favourites rolled into one Xx
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Thalia!!
Beth says
I need to get some squash, I always forget about that vegetable, haha 🙂
Lisa says
Haha, that’s about the only vegetable I’ve been eating lately! Also, since pumpkin is squash, it means that eating your lovely pumpkin buttercream is pretty much eating vegetables right? 😉
Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says
I love the flavors going on in these beautiful tacos, Lisa! Spicy harissa, miso, and maple sound like deliciously balanced flavor profile and I’m dying to try it. Plus, delicata – yum!
Lisa says
Thank you, Faith!!
Caitlin says
What is the unit of measurement for the miso? The directions just say “1 1/2”
Lisa says
Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Caitlin! It should say 1 1/2 tablespoons of white miso. I have updated the recipe to reflect the unit measurement. Thanks again!
Nadia's Healthy Kitchen says
These tacos sound and look so delicious with the salsa, miso and harissa!!!! So many awesome flavours. Yum!
Lisa says
Thanks, Nadia!
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
I love everything about this. The recipe, the post, the photos, the styling. I am in food heaven looking and reading.
And woah. Harissa and miso? How is it that I have never tried that combo before????
Lisa says
Thank you SO MUCH, Nagi! I am obsessed with harissa and miso and have been adding it to a ton of my roast dinners lately!
Cynthia says
Delicious! I was not able to find Mina spicy harissa sauce, but found a recipe to make it and it was yummy. Thanks so much for yet another taco variation!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for making this, Cynthia!
Susan says
This is brillant, especially for us vegans…Love miso and Harissa sauce!!! Hard time to fine some Delicata which is the best choice, but thinking I could sub sweet potatoes…hey, it’s what I have and everyone can get on board with that these days!! After all it’s Taco Tuesday AND Cinco de Mayo, hehe….like a Meme i saw…we were built for this!
Thanks again for this great discovery!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you for trying out the tacos, Susan!
Susan says
forgot to rate!~~