Fall is here again and what better way to celebrate than with an autumnal brunch?! I brought home an acorn squash from the grocery store, challenging myself to not only enjoy its pretty look as decor, but also to cook with it. And I’m so happy I did – they are delicious! (especially with runny eggs). Read on for the easy, acorn squash egg in a hole recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1/2 Tbs butter (melted)
• Cinnamon, pumpkin spice mix, and salt – just enough to sprinkle a little
• 4 eggs

Estim. Prep & Cooking Time: about 45 mins (serves 2 people)

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Hold the acorn squash carefully on a cutting board so that the ridges on its sides are horizontal (parallel to the cutting board)
• Use a large knife to carefully cut off both ends of the squash.* Then cut the middle section of the squash into 4 slices of about equal depth (mine were around 3/4 in deep each)
• As you cut the squash into these slices that will form your egg in a holes, you’ll notice that the inside of the squash is already nearly hollow, apart from some soft flesh and seeds. After slicing the squash, use the knife or a spoon to remove the flesh and seeds, revealing the existing holes in each slice that your eggs will cook in later.
• Melt the better in a small bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Then arrange the 4 acorn squash slices on your baking sheet. Using a silicon brush or paper towels, coat the slices with butter on all sides. If you have remaining pieces of squash that you want to cook in addition to your 4 egg in a holes, feel free to coat those in butter, too. Place all of your squash pieces back on the baking sheet.
• Season the squash however you’d like. I like a mix of savory and sweet, so I used cinnamon, pumpkin spice mix, and salt. If I did this again I’d add a small pinch of sugar, too.
• Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the squash becomes soft.
• Keeping the oven on, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Then crack an egg into the whole of each slice of squash, and bake again in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs. I recommend checking on them every minute or so and slightly wiggling the baking sheet to see how well cooked the eggs are.
• When the eggs have cooked to your desired firmness or runniness, remove from the oven, add some salt and pepper to the eggs if desired, and let cool for a few minutes.
• Take pictures of your meal and tag me on Instagram so I can see it, then serve right away. Happy fall!

*A note on the squash skins: I left the skin on my squash slices, partly because I liked the look in photos, but also because I wanted to see if I liked the taste. As I was eating, I decided I didn’t love the skin taste. Luckily, the skin is really easy to pull off of the squash father baking, so that’ what I did as I was eating. If you like the skins, by all means, leave them on!