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This roasted butternut squash (Indian inspired) with caramelized onions is a match made in sweet and savory heaven. Quick and easy, this side dish just about cooks itself. So it is perfect for days when you need something filling and comforting without too much work.
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Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love this Indian Inspired Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions Recipe
- Ingredients for Roasted Butternut Squash (Indian Inspired)
- How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions
- Toni’s Tips for Indian Inspired Roasted Butternut Squash
- FAQs for Roasted Butternut Squash
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage Instructions
- More Tasty Ways to Enjoy Butternut Squash
- Roasted Butternut Squash (Indian Inspired) with Caramelized Onions Recipe
Why You’ll Love this Indian Inspired Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash is already a simply impressive dish to begin with. Just drizzle it with oil, season with salt and pepper, and let the oven do its magic! Then you will have a beautifully caramelized squash with smooth and soft flesh. Now add a bunch of aromatics and inviting Indian spices and sweet caramelized onions, and the result is one irresistibly delicious dish, brimming with flavors and wholesome goodness.
Not only is butternut squash delicious, but it is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants. Also, this low-calorie, high-fiber squash is extremely nutritious and may help protect against heart disease and cancer, as well as boost brain health! Therefore, it’s a no-brainer to add it to your weekly meal rotation. And don’t feel limited to Indian spices! Mediterranean and Mexican spices would taste amazing in this recipe, too! This healthy and versatile butternut squash recipe is simple enough to enjoy on a weeknight, yet it has enough pizzazz to grace any celebratory table!
Ingredients for Roasted Butternut Squash (Indian Inspired)
This recipe requires only 7 pantry-friendly ingredients!
- Butternut squash: Peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes or chunks. This sweet and nutty winter squash is perfect for roasting. Instead, you can use acorn squash or delicata squash if you do not have this one.
- Onion: Halved and thinly sliced with the grain. There is nothing quite like a deeply caramelized onion to add a sweet and smoky taste to any dish!
- Olive oil: This will help achieve a crisp, caramelized texture when roasting. You can use other types of vegetable oil you have on hand.
- Garam masala: This popular Indian spice blend is usually made from powdered cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods, among other things. This spice gives any dish a sweet and warm flavor with a touch of heat.
- Turmeric: Aside from the flavor, this spice gives the dish an appetizing color (and promising health benefits)!
- Salt and Black pepper: To taste.
- Fresh Cilantro or Parsley: For garnishing. Check out this guide on How to Store Herbs for the freshest herbs!
How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions
Preparations:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Step 1: First, add butternut squash cubes and onion slices in a large bowl and toss. Then, drizzle with oil and toss until the pieces are well coated. Lastly, add the garam masala, turmeric, salt, and pepper toss everything together until the spices are evenly distributed.
Step 2: Next, place the mixture into the prepared pan in a single layer. Then, roast for 20 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered. Make sure to toss the veggies halfway through. Finally, once cooked, garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley and serve.
Toni’s Tips for Indian Inspired Roasted Butternut Squash
- Cut the butternut squash into equal sizes. So they roast equally as they bake.
- Do not overcrowd your pan. Make sure that the pieces are not overlapping and are evenly spread for best results. This will give more caramelization to the squash surfaces and perfectly caramelized onions.
- How to handle the peel: I peeled the skin off for this recipe, but feel free to keep it unpeeled as the skin becomes edible when roasted. When removing the skin, using a peeler makes it easier.
- Choose the spice you like. Take note that different Garam Masala brands may have different spice mixes. There is no fixed recipe for this, so find one that you really like and stock up!
- Don’t throw away the squash seeds! Instead, turn them into a great midday snack. Simply clean, drain, and pat dry the seeds before baking at 300°F for 45 minutes to an hour, or until crisp. Also, you can check out my Roasted Salt & Pepper Pumpkin Seeds recipe.
FAQs for Roasted Butternut Squash
It can be a bit of a challenge to remove the peel of raw butternut squash. A helpful trick is to poke holes in your squash, using the tines of a fork. Then, microwave it for 3 to 4 minutes to soften and loosen it.
Yes! As long as you make sure that the brand of garam masala you are using is free of gluten. Although spices are naturally gluten-free, some brands add wheat products during manufacturing.
Sure you can! Place the butternut squash cubes into the basket and cook for 15-20 minutes at 390F/200C. As they cook, make sure to shake the basket every 5 minutes to get perfectly roasted squash and onions.
Serving Suggestions
- Rice/quinoa/grain: Serve on a bed of brown rice risotto, veggie-packed vegan fried rice, or garlic rice. Or add to a roasted vegetable couscous, or healthy quinoa veggie bowl.
- More veggies: Pairs well with roasted asparagus, roasted parsnips, or sauteed Swiss chard.
- Salad: Serve alongside or atop some yummy greens, like this easy butternut squash salad, fall quinoa salad, roasted pumpkin salad, or roasted sweet potato salad.
- Mains: Butternut squash is a lovely touch to a nice vegan roast dinner, BBQ seitan, easy lentil loaf, or crispy baked tofu.
- Bread: Scoop it up with a soft piece of vegan naan or flatbread, or a butternut squash biscuit.
- More curry!: Embrace the Indian-inspired flavors with curried chickpeas or tandoori chickpeas.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: You can keep any leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Make sure to place it in an airtight container once it has cooled down. Do not leave it out in the open for more than 4 hours.
Freezer: You can keep this dish frozen for 3 months in a freezer-safe Ziploc or Stasher bag.
Reheat: To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temp for a few hours, then warm it up using your microwave or stovetop.
More Tasty Ways to Enjoy Butternut Squash
Vegan Dinners
Butternut Squash Curry
Vegan Dinners
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Vegan Lunches
Thai Butternut Squash Soup
Vegan Side Dishes
Easy Butternut Squash Salad
If you tried this roasted butternut squash (Indian inspired) with caramelized onions recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
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Roasted Butternut Squash (Indian Inspired) with Caramelized Onions
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Enter your email & get this sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into 1′ cubes/chunks
- 1 medium onion halved and thinly sliced with the grain
- 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon of garam masala
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro or parsley chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the squash and onions together, then drizzle the oil over and toss. Add the garam masala, turmeric, salt, and pepper, and toss again.
- Spread the mixture out onto a large baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and roast for 20 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered, tossing once halfway through. Remove from the oven and add the cilantro or parsley.
Notes
- Cut the butternut squash into equal sizes. So they roast equally as they bake.
- Do not overcrowd your pan. Make sure that the pieces are not overlapping and are evenly spread for best results. This will give more caramelization to the squash surfaces and perfectly caramelized onions.
- How to handle the peel: I peeled the skin off for this recipe, but feel free to keep it unpeeled as the skin becomes edible when roasted. When removing the skin, using a peeler makes it easier.
- Choose the spice you like. Take note that different Garam Masala brands may have different spice mixes. There is no fixed recipe for this, so find one that you really like and stock up!
- Don’t throw away the squash seeds! Turn them into a great midday snack. Simply clean, drain, and pat dry the seeds before baking at 300°F for 45 minutes to an hour, or until crisp. You can also check out our Roasted Salt & Pepper Pumpkin Seeds recipe.
I’m SOS-free. What could I use in place of the oil in this recipe?? Aquafaba? Balsamic vinegar? Vegetable stock? I think your recipes are awesome! However, as I said, I don’t use oil, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Loved it! It came out very tasty! Made it for lunch, and having a Greek yogurt on the side. Thank you!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Made this tonight. Very good.
Wohoo! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This sounds delicious and so flavorful! What would be suggested options for adding protein (white beans? other ideas?) and also suggested sides to serve with it? Thank you in advance 🙂
Beans would be great! Chickpeas, tofu, seitan, or even edamame would be great additions as well. Enjoy!
Yummy looks so good!
Right?! Such intense flavors!
I have a squash I need to cook up, so I appreciate this recipe!
Perfect timing! Enjoy!
I can already envision the wonderful smell in my house!
Yessss! So much goodness!