Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Onions and Tahini

Roasted butternut squash and red onions tossed with dates, chickpeas, and a tahini sauce in a serving bowl.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Onions and Tahini

This roasted butternut squash recipe is packed with flavor and is a perfect weeknight sheet pan main dish. Or simplify it for a side dish by omitting the roasted chickpeas. If you prefer to cook your chickpeas from dried, it's best to do that ahead.

Course Vegetarian Main Dish

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword roasted butternut squash recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 438.5kcal

Author Susan Pridmore

Ingredients

Roasted Vegetable Dish

½ large butternut squash
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided or ¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 large red onion
14.5 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 1 ½ cups cooked from dried chickpeas
4 pitted dates quartered lengthwise
4 teaspoons za'atar spice mix, divided
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Tahini Sauce

3 tablespoons tahini paste
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the butternut squash in half to separate the neck from the bulbous bottom. Store the neck portion in the refrigerator for another use, such as these butternut squash steaks.
Pro tip: A sharp chef's knife is best for this. If the skin is too tough to cut, place it in the microwave on high for 1 minute. This should soften the skin enough to slice through.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin of the bulbous bottom and slice the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp using a spoon, and discard. Slice the butternut squash halves into thin wedges about 1" to 1 ½" thick at their thickest part. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and arrange on one side of the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly salt and pepper.
Note: Feel free to slice thicker wedges of butternut squash. But they will take longer to roast and the onions will need to be removed from the sheet pan before the squash is done.
Slice the red onion from end to end and remove any wilted or damaged outer layers. Slice the onion into 1 ½" wedges. Carefully toss with one tablespoon of the olive oil try to keep the wedges intact as much as you can.
Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet next to the butternut squash. Lightly salt and pepper.
Toss the chickpeas in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and 2 teaspoons za'atar and spread onto the baking sheet in a single layer next to the onions.
Pro tip: Once you rinse the chickpeas, be sure to completely dry them before tossing in oil. I do this by sandwiching them between two tea towels and rolling them back and forth. Discard any skins that come off.
Roast the veggies and chickpeas for 30 minutes or until the squash is tender and golden brown, and the onions are slightly caramelized on their tips.
Check everything after 15 minutes to gauge if the onions and chickpeas are toasting more quickly than the squash. If they are, you may need to remove them before the squash is ready.
While everything is roasting, make the tahini dressing. Whisk together the tahini paste, lemon juice, maple syrup, and minced garlic until smooth. Whisk in the water, one tablespoon at a time until you have the consistency of honey.
Note: If the sauce separates, just continue to drizzle cold water into the sauce while whisking. Keep doing this until the sauce comes back together.
Combine the roasted vegetables and chickpeas with the quartered dates and arrange on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the remaining za'atar to your own personal preference, and chopped parsley. Finish with a drizzle of the tahini sauce.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition