WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS? Squash is a popular vegetable in Mexican cooking, used in soups, stews, and side dishes. For an easy-to-prepare roasted squash dish with tons of deep flavor, we turned to delicately sweet butternut squash. First, we tossed our sliced butternut squash with melted butter and spices to create a savory crust when roasted. To encourage the squash slices to caramelize, we used a hot 425-degree oven, placed the squash on the lowest oven rack, and baked the squash for nearly an hour to ensure that all the excess moisture had evaporated. Finally, we put together a sweet and spicy vinaigrette, using lime juice and chipotle as our base. A bit of honey rounded out the tangy, spicy ingredients with an earthy sweetness, while some minced cilantro offered a burst of freshness. Once the squash was cooked, we drizzled it with our simple vinaigrette for a splash of bold flavor, brightness, and visual appeal. This dish can be served warm or at room temperature. For the best texture it’s important to remove the fibrous flesh just below the squash’s skin.
SERVES: 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 (2½-to 3-pound) butternut squash
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Using a sharp vegetable peeler or chef’s knife, peel the squash until completely orange with no white flesh remaining (roughly ⅛ inch deep). Halve the squash lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the squash cut side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise ½ inch thick.
- Toss the squash with melted butter, cumin, coriander, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Arrange the squash on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the squash until the side touching the sheet toward the back of the oven is well browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Rotate the sheet and continue to bake until the side touching the sheet toward the back of the oven is well browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven and use a metal spatula to flip each piece. Continue to roast until the squash is very tender and the side touching the sheet is browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
- Whisk oil, cilantro, honey, lime juice, and chipotle together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the squash to a serving platter, drizzle with the vinaigrette, and serve.
TIP:
PREPARING SQUASH FOR ROASTING
- Drive tip of chef’s knife into center of squash; steady with dish towel. Drive knife down through squash. Rotate squash and repeat to cut in half.
- Scrape out seeds using spoon, then place squash flat side down on cutting board and slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces.
