Delicata Squash Tart With Hot Honey and Pistachios
Published Dec. 22, 2025
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2small delicata squash (about 10 ounces each), trimmed, halved, seeded and sliced into crescents
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1tablespoon hot honey (or regular honey plus a pinch of cayenne), plus more for drizzling
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- 1(14- to 16-ounce) package puff pastry
- 1egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- ¾ cup Parmesan
- 1cup sour cream
- 2teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, sage, rosemary or tarragon
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼cup chopped pistachio nuts
- Flaky sea salt
- Chives or chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
486 calories; 35 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 414 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Arrange two racks in the oven, one in the top third and the other in the bottom third. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, toss squash with olive oil, honey and salt. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown at the edges and just tender, about 20 minutes. (They will cook more on top of the tart.)
- Step 3
Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Using a paring knife, lightly score a border along the perimeter of the puff pastry about a ¼ inch away from the edges. Place puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet and, using a fork, prick the pastry inside the border to prevent puffing in the center.
- Step 4
Bake on the top oven rack until the puff pastry is very lightly golden at the edges (it won’t be baked through), 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
- Step 5
Brush tart crust all over with beaten egg and sprinkle with ¼ cup of the Parmesan, taking special care to coat the edges well with egg and cheese.
- Step 6
In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, remaining ½ cup Parmesan, thyme and black pepper. Spread on the puff pastry inside the border and arrange the squash decoratively on top. (If you don’t have room to use all the squash, snack on whatever is left.)
- Step 7
Bake until the squash is tender and the edges of the cheese mixture are golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly (10 to 20 minutes) before serving.
- Step 8
Sprinkle with pistachios and flaky sea salt, drizzle with a little more hot honey and olive oil, and top with chives or parsley, and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
@lsweepup Certainly! Always helpful to prep what you can ahead. Here's what I as a former chef suggest: Step 2, pre-baking the squash, maybe adding/subbing some other winter veggies like cut up carrots &/or parsnips? sliced onions? tho pre-roast each in separate areas on pan as they may finish @different times. When cool put in fridge. Steps 3 and 4, pre-bake the pastry til edges are just golden... then leave out on the counter very lightly covered once cool for protection only, using tea towel or parchment etc. Don't overwrap or put in fridge (gets soggy) and do NOT do Step 5 ahead. Step 6, sour cream mix can easily be made ahead, kept in fridge. Step 8, chop topping ingredients ahead of time but I'd keep wet and dry ingredients separate til after it's baked. When ready, continue per recipe, considering that things that are cold will take longer to cook...might result in overbaked pastry edges! You could bring ingredients out of fridge 30 minutes ahead &/or crimp foil lightly on pastry edges if too brown before it's done. Remember, there are no fast and hard rules. Cooking is a creative process. Enjoy!
I made this nearly exactly as described and it turned out beautifully and LOOKED incredible, my guests wouldn’t stop talking about it! I sliced the squash quite thinly so I could easily arrange them beautifully. I par baked them until soft but not falling apart and then they got nicely golden and caramelized at the edges during the final bake. Be sure to check your salt levels, I ended up needing to add a decent amount of finishing salt to make the flavors pop. I chose chives as the finishing herb which was the right choice imo. The entire thing was gone within minutes 😋 In Melissa we trust!
I made this for an early commitment this morning, so prep was everything! Last night I roasted the squash (Acorn was available), grated the cheese, made the sour cream topping, and chopped the nuts. I recommend a little more squash, a little less oil, and cutting the squash into half inch slices. I cut mine into smaller bites, and it cooked too quickly, leaving some scorched bits. I thought I had my first ever Melissa Clark epic fail - chef's error! Easily fixed by baking the puff pastry as instructed, spreading the topping and baking another 10 minutes before adding the squash since it was already completed cooked. The second bake was only 6 minutes, or until the squash was heated through. Prepared as Melissa intended, 5 stars! Can't wait to try this with other veggies, and mushrooms would be particularly good.
Loved this. Used pumpkin seeds instead of pistachios as per comment. Used half recipe for half a puff pastry sheet cut lengthwise. Next time will try to more artfully arrange Delicata slices
Also chopped up some red onion to add to squash as per comment and would repeat
It was beautiful but kind of bland! We didn't have hot honey so went with normal honey + cayenne pepper, maybe that was the issue. The squash also roasted extremely fast in step 2 so we waited to add it to the pastry for the bake in step 7 until the pastry only had about 10 minutes left to cook. Wondering what we did wrong because overall it was disappointing, just tasted like underseasoned delicata squash and pastry.