This roasted butternut squash with sweet chilli and maple syrup makes the perfect midweek dinner. With its deeply caramelised, crispy corners and velvety centres it’s topped with pomegranate arils for a pop of freshness and optionally haloumi for a hint of saltiness.
So you have a butternut pumpkin sitting in your kitchen. You don’t know why exactly you bought it, or what you even had in mind when you saw it at the grocery store. It’ll be a matter of days before you have to toss it and you’re just standing there staring at it – wondering what to make with it.
How about I introduce you to this roast pumpkin recipe idea: sweet chilli and maple syrup, blended with olive oil, drizzled and roasted on cubes butternut until edges are deeply golden crispy!
It makes for a great midweek dinner, and is a delicious twist on the classic maple glazed roast pumpkin. It never has to get boring because switching it up with add ins is endless. You can try one of these for an extra kick:
- haloumi cheese (before baking)
- feta or goat’s cheese (at serving)
- roughly diced red onion (before baking)
- salted broccoli florets (midway baking)
- baby carrots (before baking)
- walnuts or pecans (before baking)
- pepitas and sunflower seeds (at serving)
- pomegranate arils (at serving)
This recipe is so versatile, you can switch out the butternut for Jap (aka Kent) pumpkin or even sweet potato. Great served with BBQ chicken, pasta, rice or your favourite grains – think burgul, quinoa and couscous!
To make this an extra easy midweek dinner, here are some pro tips on preparing your pumpkin:
- Butternut squash can be easily peeled using a Y peeler. It’s peel is also totally edible, and peeling can be skipped entirely.
- Jap (or Kent) pumpkin peels are also edible, but it’s a thicker skin and has a pronounced bitter taste. It’s best to peel this type of pumpkin.
- To cut a butternut squash into cubes, lay it onto its side and segment it into discs by slicing it at 3cm (about 1 1/4″) intervals. Next cut each disk in half, then each half into thirds (or to desired cubed size).
- If your pumpkin has a lots of seeds, rinse them off under tap water, rub them dry with a paper towel and throw them into your baking tray along with the cubed pumpkin. Roasted pumpkin seeds aren’t just a healthy addition, but also delicious!
Sweet Chilli & Maple Roasted Butternut
Fifteen minutes of prep and 5 steps are all that're holding you back from digging into this sweet chilli and maple roast pumpkin. This vegan, FODMAP, and Paleo compliant recipe can be served as a side, but is still filling enough to be enjoyed as a main.
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 pound) butternut pumpkin, or any squash veriety you have
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp sweet chilli powder, only sub with chilli powder if reducing to 1/4 tsp
- 1/2 pomegranate, seeded
- salt to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F/180°C fan.
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Peel and dice the pumpkin into 3cm cubes - roughly 1 inch cubes.
If you are using a butternut pumpkin, you peeling the skin is optional.
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Place the pumpkin cubes onto a lined baking tray and set aside. Do not overcrowd the baking tray if you want crispy edges!
In a small jug, whisk olive oil, maple syrup, sweet chilli powder and salt. Drizzle over pumpkin cubes and toss to coat evenly.
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Season pumpkin with a pinch of salt and pepper (if desired). Roast for 25-35 minutes, or until the pumpkin is deeply caramelised and cooked through. If you have hot spots in your oven, go ahead and toss once at around the 15 minute mark.
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Remove from the oven, top with pomegranate arils and any add ins you want (see notes below). Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
You can add depth of flavour and texture by using any of the following:
- haloumi cheese (before baking)
- feta or goat's cheese (at serving)
- roughly diced red onion (before baking)
- salted broccoli florets (midway baking)
- baby carrots (before baking)
- walnuts or pecans (before baking)
- pepitas and sunflower seeds (at serving)
- pomegranate arils (at serving)
Tried it? Let me know if you liked it!
Go on and rate the recipe in the comments below. And don’t forget to tag your creations on Instagram with @tilgoldenbrown #tilgoldenbrown so I can feature them! 
