Name: Roasted Squash with Yogurt Dressing and Pomegranate Seeds
Ingredients: 1 cup Greek yogurt; 1 Tbs. maple syrup; 6 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 2 tsp. plus 1 Tbs. Maldon sea salt; 3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes; 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice; 1 bunch fresh sage, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup); 2 winter squash, such as kabocha or butternut, or 2 pumpkins, each about 2 1/2 lb., seeded and each cut into 6 to 8 wedges; 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Roasted Squash with Yogurt Dressing and Pomegranate Seeds

Roasted squash takes a trip to the Mediterranean in this vibrant recipe from Chef Katharine Marsh. It’s filled with unexpected tastes: A sage pesto flavors wedges of squash, which are roasted until soft and sweet. Then they’re topped with a piquant Greek yogurt dressing sweetened with maple syrup. A sprinkling of pomegranate seeds adds the finishing touch.

By williamssonoma · From Open Recipes · 9 ingredients

Why it works: Yogurt and pomegranate work together. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 48 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity. The science ↓

The recipe

Ingredients

Contains: milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 Tbs. maple syrup
6 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tsp. plus 1 Tbs. Maldon sea salt
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 bunch fresh sage, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 winter squash, such as kabocha or butternut, or 2 pumpkins, each about 2 1/2 lb., seeded and each cut into 6 to 8 wedges
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

By williamssonoma. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

Yogurt + pomegranatetop 5% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together48 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
Lemon + sagetop 2% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together887 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Pepper + lemontop 2% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together27,039 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Pepper + sagetop 2% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together5,388 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Yogurt + olivetop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together2,633 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Flavor stand-ins for the winter squash

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (yogurt, maple syrup, olive, pepper, lemon, sage, pomegranate):

Limebetter flavor fit
Orangebetter flavor fit
Cherrybetter flavor fit
Winter squashthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against yogurt, maple syrup, olive, pepper, lemon, sage, pomegranate. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).

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