Pomegranate-Glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash

Vegan        Dairy-Free        Gluten-Free        15 – Minute Prep 

Delicious, gorgeous vegan entrée for Thanksgiving or any special occasion. Step-by-step instructions to hasselback butternut squash are included, with photos for each step.

A few days ago, I posted about making your own pomegranate molasses. It was so easy, and I loved how I could tailor it to my own taste by adding spices. I liked it so much, I created this Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe just so I could use it. 

Before getting into the recipe, let's delve into the name Hasselback.

What's Hasselback?

The term hasselback originates from a baked potato made famous by the the Hasselbacken restaurant, in Stockholm. The potatoes were cut halfway through into thin slices, and roasted. The inside of the potato remains soft, while the outside boasts a crust. 

Since then, cooks delight in using that same technique on other vegetables. Butternut squash lends itself very well to this technique because of the its shape, size, and uniformity of texture.

And it's a dramatic way of serving this squash as a main entree. If you're looking for a vegan or vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving, this is it.

How to Prep Butternut Squash – Hasselback Style

Prepping butternut squash is much easier than it looks. All you need is a cutting board, a spoon, a y-shaped potato peeler, and a sharp chef's knife. And to hasselback the squash, you also need 2 knives or chopsticks.

Step 1: Scoop Out The Seeds and Pulp

Lay the squash down on a cutting board and slice off the top and bottom. Next, stand the butternut squash up and slice it in half, lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp.

Tip: A grapefruit spoon is best, but any spoon will work just fine. 

Step 2: Peel the Squash

Turn the squash halves over so their flat sides face down on a cutting surface. Using a Y-shaped potato peeler, either start peeling from the top edge or from the middle. I do it both ways, and slightly prefer starting towards the middle, as pictured above.

Turn the squash around 180˚ and finish peeling.

Tip: Pull the peeler towards you in smooth sweeps. Don't try to cut too deeply into the squash, or the peeler will stick. It's much more effective to make 2 or 3 sweeps in the same area that are more shallow. 

Step 3: Pre-Roast For Easier Hasselbacking

In preparation to hasselback butternut squash, lightly oil the squash, and arrange them on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes.

Tip: For one whole butternut squash, use a quarter baking sheet if you have one. Otherwise use the more traditional half backing sheet, which is the same size as a traditional cookie sheet.

Step 4: Hasselback Butternut Squash Technique

Remove from the oven, cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a cutting board. Keeping the squash facing down, lay chopsticks or knives on either side of one of the squash halves, as pictured above. The knives will prevent you from slicing all the way through the squash, and keep the slices an even depth. Use a sharp chef's knife to make the cuts. When finished with the first squash half, move the chopsticks or knives to the other squash half, and repeat.

Tip: Whatever you choose to use as a guide on either side of the squash, make sure it has a flat surface so that it remains fairly stable while you hasselback the butternut squash.

Step 5: Roast and Baste the Hasselback Butternut Squash

Transfer the squash back to the baking sheet, oil again and lightly dust with salt, sage and nutmeg. Roast, and baste with the pomegranate glaze every 20 minutes until the squash is tender.

Step 6: Finishing Touches

Finish the dish as you like. I sprinkled fried sage leaves and pomegranate arils over the top, and added a quick sauté of shredded Brussel sprouts, apples and garlic with a splash of apple cider vinegar. The crumbles you see in the Brussels sprouts sauté are chorizo crumbles by Morningstar – and a great vegan alternative to meat that goes great with the squash.