Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Onion, Tahini and Za'atar

Roasted butternut squash and red onions topped with tahini and za'atar on a white plate.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Onion, Tahini and Za'atar

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: roasted butternut squash

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings:

Calories: 189kcal

This roasted butternut squash recipe makes an excellent Thanksgiving side dish, but it’s simple enough to make for weeknight dinners, too. It’s gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and packed with Middle Eastern flavors.

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Equipment

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash
2 red onions

For the tahini sauce

3 ½ tablespoon tahini paste
1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon water
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tablespoon za'atar
kosher salt
olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Chop the butternut squash into chunks about 1 inch think. Leave the peel intact.
Chop the red onion into wedges about ¼ inch thick.
Divide squash and onions between two sheet pans. Drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt and toss to coat. Spread out evenly on pan. Make sure the squash is skin side down.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes. You want the skins and the edges of the butternut squash to be nice and brown, almost blackened. Some of the very edges will get crisp and dark. Check on the onions during the roasting to be sure they aren’t getting overdone. Remove them if necessary.
While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce. Add the tahini, lemon juice, water, crushed garlic clove and a pinch of salt to a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth. The mixture might look curdled at first, but keep going. It will come together and thicken up. If it’s too thick, add a bit more water. It should be the consistency of honey, not hummus.
Remove squash and onions from the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Just before serving, drizzle with tahini sauce and sprinkle za’atar over the top.

Notes

You do not need to peel the squash! You can absolutely eat the skin of butternut squash and cooking it at this high temperature will get it nice and roasted and crispy.
Tahini has a tendency to look like it's curdling when mixed with other liquids. Do not panic! Keep whisking and it will all come together and smooth out.
Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend that includes oregano, sesame seeds and sumac. You can find Za'atar online on Amazon, at specialty markets, and also at Whole Foods.
Adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.

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Nutrition