Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe with Moroccan Spices

It's the first day of the countdown to Thanksgiving, and to get us started, this is a perfect low-glycemic vegetable as a South Beach Diet friendly alternative to candied sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. Yes, I realize I just posted Roasted Butternut Squash with Lime and Rosemary for Weekend Herb Blogging last week, (another South Beach Diet option for a Thanksgiving vegetable that's lower on the glycemic index.) I've simply decided that since I have so much of the Really Big Squash still from my garden, butternut squash is going to feel like the Sally Fields of vegetables around here. (Squash to Kalyn: "You like me, you really like me.")

What makes this version of butternut squash special is the spice mixture, found in the November issue of my beloved Fine Cooking Magazine, and guaranteed to make an appearance here on more vegetables before the veggie roasting season is over. Roasted with these spices, the squash tasted amazingly sweet and just a tiny bit exotic, but definitely not into the category of what my relatives might call "weird food" if I showed up with it for Thanksgiving. The mixture has cumin, coriander, chile powder, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger, and it could have had a touch of cloves too, but I was out of cloves! I have a feeling if you're missing one or two of those spices you could still make a tasty mixture with the ones you did have.

Since this is Weekend Herb Blogging, as well as a great Thanksgiving veggie option, I should remind you that butternut is a winter squash, and is often called Pumpkin in Europe and Asia. It's one of the World's Healthiest Foods, and is a good source of complex carbohydrates. Now some of you may think I'm cheating with seasonings that are definitely spices, not herbs, but squash is a vegetable and spices come from plants, and remember you can write about any herb, plant, veggie, or flower for Weekend Herb Blogging, which is hosted here at Kalyn's Kitchen this week. Here is where to send your entry if you'd like to show us what Thanksgiving veggies you're cooking.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices
(Makes 3-4 servings, recipe adapted slightly from Fine Cooking Magazine, November 2007.)

4-5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 T olive oil (or slightly less)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt, for seasoning cooked squash

Spice Mix (makes enough for 5 batches of roasted veggies):
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. chile powder (I used Ancho chile powder from Penzeys)
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
(recipe called for a pinch ground cloves, which I did not have.)

Preheat oven to 450 or 475F. (Recipe specified 475F, but I was using my toaster oven which only goes to 450. I used the convection oven at 450 to make the squash in the photo.)

Peel butternut squash with vegetable peeler, cut off ends, and cut squash into cubes about 1 inch square. Put squash in plastic bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp. spice mixture. Stir well to get oil and spices evenly distributed on cut surfaces of the squash.

Spray roasting pan with olive oil or nonstick spray and arrange squash in a single layer. Roast about 40-50 minutes, turning every 15 minutes or so. Squash is done when it is soft and slightly browned on quite a few of the edges. (I cooked my squash quite a bit longer than the recipe specified in Fine Cooking, since I like it very well browned.) Season with sea salt, and serve hot.

This spice mix is also great on other roasted vegetables. Fine Cooking suggests carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and turnips.

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South Beach Suggestions:

Butternut squash is a good choice for phase 2 or 3 of the South Beach Diet, and this version without butter is a much healthier option for anyone who's watching their saturated fat intake.

More Low-Glycemic, South Beach Friendly Thanksgiving Vegetable Options:
Five Vegetable Options from Thanksgiving 2006
Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar
Foil-Wrapped Grilled Butternut Squash with Sage
Roasted Butternut Squash with Lime and Rosemary
Stir-Fried Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts
Spicy Sweet Potato Fries