This roasted winter squash recipe is an easy, flavourful side dish with a Middle Eastern flare.Use your favourite winter squash (Sombra, Hokkaido, Butternut…)
Course
Salad, Side Dish
Category
Levante, Middle Eastern
Prep Time15minutes
Cook Time35minutes
Total Time50minutes
Servings4
Calories189kcal
AutorElle
Ingredients
For the roasted winter squash:
1kgwinter squash or pumpkin,cut into 2-2,5 cm thick wedges (I used sombra)
3tablespoonsolive oil
1tablespoonza'atar
1teaspoonsumac
sea salt,to taste
2medium red onions,cut into wedges
For the tahini sauce:
3 1/2tablespoonstahini,well-stirred
1 1/2tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lemon juice
4tablespoonscold water,plus for to thin if needed
1small garlic clove,minced
Sea salt,to taste
To garnish:
seeds from half a small pomegranate
2tablespoonsslivered almonds,lightly toasted
Handful roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method
Heat the oven to 430°F / 220°C (200°C fan-assisted) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss the squash wedges in the oil, za'atar and sumac. Spread in even layer, on the prepared baking sheet, careful not to crowd, and season with salt.
Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Add the onions, toss everything to combine and then spread in an even layer again. Roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until squash is tender and edges browned.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before transferring to a serving plate.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the tahini sauce ingredients (tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic, and salt) until well-combined, adding more water to thin, if necessary.
To serve, spread the roasted squash on a serving platter and drizzle over a little of the tahini sauce. Scatter the pomegranate seeds, almonds and parsley on top. Serve the remaining tahini sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
For this recipe, you can use any type of edible winter squash or pumpkin. Sombra (pictured here) Hokkaido (Red Kuri), Sweet Dumpling, Butternut, etc are all great choices that don’t require peeling. If using butternut I recommend peeling the tough skin before roasting it.
If you don’t have both za’atar and sumac on hand, then simply omit the sumac. Za’atar spice mix also contains sumac, so you will still get to taste some of it’s unique lemony flavour.