Healthy Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe by Ottolenghi

This is my go to dish if I have a vegetarian coming to supper – or if I want something tasty with a little spice that is also healthy. Living in Los Angeles there’s a tendency to force the seasons – without the glorious fall leaves of New England (or even Old England for that matter) we love to celebrate the nuances we do have by shouting them from the roof tops. So in anticipation of Fall, and all things orange, I’m roasting up butternut squash using my take on Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe from PLENTY MORE – with a spicy yogurt dressing and roasted pumpkin seeds.  The spicy yogurt has become a family favorite – it’s rich, creamy and very satisfying and yet healthy and a great addition to roasted veg and salads alike. I add lots of fresh mint to the coriander dressing for extra depth of flavor and I also try to roast the garlic clove as I’m not a fan of raw garlic in dressings.

Healthy Ottolenghi Butternut Squash Recipe

You will need:

1 Butternut Squash
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Olive oil
50g Coriander and mint leaves – leaves and stalks – plus extra leaves to garnish
1 small clove of garlic (I like to roast the garlic alongside the squash because I don’t like raw garlic)
20g Pumpkin seeds
200g Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha
Fleur de sel and Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400 F. Cut the butternut squash into thick wedges, having discarded the seeds.

Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of fleur de sel and lots of freshly ground pepper.  Coat the squash and then place on a large baking tray, skin side down.

Roast for 35-40 minutes until soft and starting to brown on top. Set to one side to cool.

Reduce oven heat to 350 F and roast the pumpkin seeds on a baking tray for 6-8 minutes.

In the food processor put the herbs, garlic, 4 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt and blitz to form a smooth paste.

Swirl together the yoghurt and Sriracha sauce.

On a large platter lay out the squash, drizzle with the pink spicy yogurt and the green herb paste. Sprinkle with the roasted pumpkin seeds and serve.