Roasted Winter Squash with Cilantro Chimichurri! Use a mix of squashes, like acorn squash and delicata squash. The cilantro chimichurri makes this simple dish into a showstopper.

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

We’ve all had those shocking epiphanies where suddenly you realize that somehow, someway, you’ve become an adult.

Maybe it was when you found yourself agreeing with Ariel’s dad in The Little Mermaid. (“Young lady, you don’t love that boy. You don’t even know him!”) Or perhaps it was when you realized you actually wanted socks for your birthday because that meant you wouldn’t have to spend your own money on them.

Our Favorite Videos Get Recipe »

For me, it was when I first used the thermostat after getting my first real job after college. Before, I was simply wearing a lot of sweaters and ensuring that whatever I made for dinner required turning on the oven so it would also warm the tiny hovel my landlord passed off as an apartment.

Suddenly, I was an adult with a heating bill.

Still, some of those heat-the-apartment recipes that I cobbled together in my pre-adulting days were nothing less than epic. I still make them today!

Take this recipe for roasted winter squash with cilantro chimichurri: super cheap ingredients and crazy easy to make. Yet, the result is always breathtaking. Bright, herbal, acidic, and sweet. It’s the perfect cold weather dish on a budget – that also requires turning on the oven.

Even better? When you serve it to your friends, you’ll convince everyone you’re a real adult with excellent taste.