Moroccan Spice Roasted Butternut Squash
Here is a poem. I call it, An Ode to Moroccan Spice Roasted Butternut Squash:
Goodness Gracious,
This is delicious.
I may not be the best poet, but this squash is um, delicious. In fact, it’s just as delicious as that poem is terrible (which is saying a lot!). I’d like to go on the record and blame my lack of poetic-ness with the fact that I am in shock and awe at the deliciousness of this squash. If you have come here looking for a Thanksgiving side dish that will wow your guests (and is super easy), look no further. (And if you’ve come here looking for good poetry, you are decidedly in the wrong place).
Moroccan spices pair perfectly with earthy and sweet butternut squash, and when roasted to perfection, the crispy caramelized exterior and fluffy soft interior creates such an awesome texture and depth of flavor that you will think you have died and gone to butternut squash heaven.
And because I had already peeled and diced the squash a few days ago, this was a super quick and easy thing to make! I just mixed the oil and spices right in the container and shook it around. Fewer dishes this way, too :-)
I have to say: the star of this show is really the Moroccan spice mixture. It’s warming, spicy, and aromatic. It’s so good that, after making this, I immediately mixed a larger batch of it to use with other dishes (yogurt-marinated chicken is the first thing that came to mind… yum!!!). Have you ever had anything with Moroccan spices? Think of a cross between Indian and Jamaican jerk seasonings. This blend is called Ras el Hanout– think of it as the Moroccan equivalent of garam masala.
The recipe card at the bottom of this post gives the amount of this seasoning for only this squash. Instead, you can use about 1 tablespoon of the pre-mixed Ras el Hanout to make this squash instead of all the individual ingredients.
Confession. Besides the fact that it makes for a good blog post and excellent recipe, here’s the real reason why I made this squash. Zach and I are leaving for Texas tomorrow for Thanksgiving (that’s where his family lives) and I had a fridge full of cut up butternut squash I had to use up. There isn’t a lot I dislike more than wasting food, so I had to act quickly. I made this roasted squash and snacked on it for a little, but the main purpose of my roasting it was to make soup to freeze for when we get back. Holy moly. It’s delicious! Just saute an onion in butter, add the roasted squash and some chicken or vegetable broth, and mash with a potato masher.
And now, I shall leave you with another poem:
This is the end of the post,
I hope you enjoy this the most!
Weekend Prep: Peel, seed, and dice the butternut squash ahead of time and mix the spice mixture together. When you are ready to cook, just add olive oil to the container in which you stored the squash, add the spices, shake, and you are ready to roast!
Moroccan Spice Roasted Butternut Squash
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces (about 2 lbs)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together all spices in a small bowl.
- Place the squash on the baking sheet and drizzle with the oil (3 tablespoons) and add the spice mixture. Toss together until evenly coated.
- Spread squash out evenly on the baking sheet, making sure the pieces don't touch as much as possible (otherwise they will steam, and won't roast evenly nor brown on the sides)
- Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until browned, tossing once halfway through.
Notes
- Instead of all the individual spices, you can use 1 tablespoon Ras el Hanout (a Moroccan spice mix).
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
The combination of spices juxtaposed with the sweetness of the roasted squash is amazing. I had this for lunch today with simple sliced potatoes and onions.
So glad you liked it!
I made this dish to add alongside blackened chicken. It was so tasty! It had a slight reminiscence of baked sweet potato, but more buttery! Thanks Elizabeth, and thanks for all the other wonderful and delicious recipes! I’m sure Zach and the kids are eating well! I’ll be back for my next meal!
-Boyd
Aw yay! Thanks so much Boyd! Great to hear from you and glad you liked the recipe :-)
Super tasty
So glad you liked it!
As easy as it is delicious
So happy you liked it!
I couldn’t find my cayenne so left it out. We don’t like heat much and usually use less of that ingredient anyway. It was wonderful and I will make a large batch of Ras el Hanout so I’m ready for the next squash! I’ll even buy cayenne so I can try it the way it’s supposed to taste.
So happy you liked it! Thanks for the comment :-)
This turned out delicious! i tossed in some cranberries and honey.
So happy you liked it! Love those suggestions for additions!
Love this soup and easy recipe, I’m roasted the squash now. I buy the Moroccan spice mixture, it is called Ras El Hanout (Nutmeg, ginger cinnamon, tumeric, coriander, black pepper, allspice , cloves and cardamon).
Thanks! I’ll have to pick some of the pre-mixed Ras El Hanout up one of these days.
I am so excited to try this tonight! Is the spice blend “too spicy” for kiddos?
I don’t think so, but then again, I’ve always liked spicy food, even when I was 5! There’s only a little bit of cayenne pepper in the whole batch, but if you’re concerned about it, you can always just omit it (and maybe have some crushed red pepper on the side for people who like things with a bit of heat). Hope everyone likes it!
Mmmm this was so good! I added a little garlic salt to mine because I like that on roasted veggies. I imagine this method would would great on carrots, too. So yummy!
Thanks, Marsha! It’s one of my favorites. I’m definitely going to try it with carrots soon- great idea.
I make this recipe all the time. On weight watchers its a perfect side portion, very low in points and very filling. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! (Hope you don’t mind, but I am well known for this recipe, haha).
Thank you, Eric! I’m so happy you like it so much and that all your fans do too! :-) I’m also really happy you commented on this because I almost forgot about this recipe and now I NEED to make it again!
That Moroccan spice blend sounds amazing! Just perfect for butternut squash, and such a lovely and easy dish. Thanks so much for the recipe!
You’re welcome, and thanks for visiting! :-)