Butternut Squash Roasted with Chili Paste
Winter Squash, simply roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper is on heavy rotation in our kitchens this time of year, but we’re always looking for a new way to prepare and enjoy this winter staple (winter squash pasta is never a bad idea).
We made this Gochujang and Sesame Roasted Butternut squash recipe (from Bon Appétit) for our most recent farm lunch and it was a hit! While not too far a stray from simply roasted squash, the gochujang, sesame seeds, and scallions add enough of a twist to make it feel like a whole new dish. Not only is it a crowd pleaser, this dish is also very easy to put together. The most complicated step is peeling the squash. The recipe calls for butternut, but you could make it with most any winter squash you like!
Once you’re past the peel, you thinly slice the squash and toss it in a very easy-to-assemble sauce of sesame seeds, oil, chili paste, and soy sauce and then it’s straight to the oven! Because the squash is cut pretty thinly, it cooks relatively quickly making it a great candidate for a weeknight meal. If you want to make it even easier, sub out the butternut for a softer skinned squash, like delicata, that doesn’t require peeling! If you do choose to use delicata, though, I’d recommend cutting the slices a little thicker, as delicata generally tends to cook faster than butternut (you may need to adjust cooking time, just keep an eye on them).
Additionally, if you can’t find gochujang, I think you could easily swap it out for any type of chili paste or hot sauce you like. The gochujang is great though, and worth the hunt! You’ll be sure to find many more uses for it in your kithcen. It adds just the right amount of warmth to this dish. The heat is a great balance to the sweetness of the squash.
Gochujang and Sesame Roasted Squash
from Bon Appétit
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (we used a mix of black and white)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) This one is delicious.
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, sliced 1/4” thick
Top with:
Thinly sliced scallions & flaky sea salt
To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 425ºF with racks in upper and lower thirds of oven (or, if you plan to use one sheet pan, place oven rack in middle of oven). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. (If you don’t have parchment paper, use tin foil.)
In a large bowl (big enough to hold all the squash), whisk together the sesame seeds, oil, gochujang, and soy sauce. Add squash and toss to coat, making sure each piece is evenly covered.
Arrange squash slices in a single layer on one-two baking sheets, depending on how much room you have on your sheets (avoid overcrowding the squash to help get nice browning - they tend to steam each other when placed closely on one sheet).
Place sheets in oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, rotating the sheets once halfway through cooking. The squash should be tender all the way through and browned on some edges when finished.
Top with scallions and salt - enjoy!