{Whole30} Cajun Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash
With the combination of ghee, olive oil, garlic and Cajun seasoning, this roasted butternut squash will be a new favorite of yours.
Squash is one of my favorite veggies. In fact, it was the first veggie I have eaten as a child. My Mom used to cook it with coconut milk, mash the squash and add little white rice. That’s what I did with my siblings, too. No wonder, squash is their top favorite like me. I must admit that we do the mashing of squash until now.
Although I love squash a lot, I haven’t tried roasting them. I think that’s because whenever I try to attempt trying a different recipe, I still end up cooking the one I grew up eating. This time, I had to fight it.
Roasting squash is very easy. Peeling and cutting is the insane part that I almost knocked at my neighbor’s door to help me with it. 😀 I am very happy that my efforts paid off.
This roasted butternut squash is flavored with homemade cajun seasoning. I am not very familiar with cajun seasoning and I see so many versions so I followed what I felt I’d love. I am very pleased that everything turned out incredibly good! With the combination of ghee and olive oil with garlic, it tastes amazing!
I am happy to share this with my friends at Fiesta Friday #165. Thanks to our host, Angie and to our co-hosts this week, Monika and Diann.
Cajun Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash
- Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
- 1 medium to large butternut squash
- 2 tbsp ghee, melted
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning (I have a recipe below)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Parsley, roughly chopped, to garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 420 F. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil or a deep large pan which can accommodate your squash.
- Cut the squash lengthwise, peel and remove the seeds.
- Brush all sides of the squash with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the squash on the greased pan, cut side down.
- Roast for about 20 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting: In a small bowl, combine ghee, olive oil, Cajun seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. You can do a taste test and adjust accordingly.
- After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the squash to a board. It’s like making hasselback potatoes, make crosswise cuts, about 1/8-inch apart, making sure not to cut all the way thru the bottom. To make this easier, you can place chopsticks or wooden spoons on the long side of the squash so you don’t cut all the way thru the bottom.
- Transfer the “hasselback” squash to the baking pan. Pour the oil and ghee mixture, making sure to coat everything between the slits.
- Roast for another 20-30 minutes, basting with the cooking juice every 10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
Source recipe: Eatwell101
Homemade Cajun Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chili/cayenne powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Mix all ingredients and keep them in an airtight container.
Enjoy your weekend, people! Happy Fiesta Friday!💃🏻
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39 Comments
Liz
Thank you. I shall definitely be making this soon. Sorry times are busy and summer is here and the weather is nice….
Kriska Marie
I’ve heard so much about butternut squash, but haven’t personally tried it yet. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing this over at Food Friday! Excited to see what you’ll be sharing next. 😀
Jhuls
Philippine squash is still the best for me, though. 😀 Just experimenting at this one, but it was really delicious! Thanks, Kriska. I hope you have a fab weekend.
Corina
I love hasselback potatoes but have never tried anything similar with a squash! d It looks and sounds so tasty with that cajun seasoning! Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Jhuls
I have used the Cajun seasoning way too much. I use it every week! 😀 Thanks, Corina.
hijackedbytwins
Ooooh I love butternut squash, especially when it is roasted so I know this would be a hit here! Sorry for the late comment and I hope you have a good week. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Jhuls
No worries – everybody is busy.😘 Thanks for being here and have a lovely week to you as well.
choclette
I love roasted squash and this sounds delicious. In fact I love squash in pretty much any format, so I ought to try your mashed version too. #CookBlogShare
Jhuls
We share the love for squash! I hope you’d love this one. Thanks for stopping by.
ItalianBelly
This sounds fantastic. I’m a big fan of squash as well. Thanks for the Cajun seasoning recipe! #sweetnothingsfoodfriday
Jhuls
This Cajun spice seasoning became my instant favorite. Thanks for stopping by.
Hope
This looks delicious, I love the addition of the homemade cajun seasoning – yum!
Midgie
Oooh yum! We love roasted butternut squash too! Thanks for sharing #cookblogshare
Jhuls
Thanks a lot, Midgie. And thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Paula from Her Life is Love
Hi Jhuls, this looks sweet. I’m sure my daughter would enjoy this minus a bit of the seasoning. I was inspired to write a recipe for Jjajangmyeon after our little chat in the comments off one of my posts. I’ve linked you, but in case you didn’t get the notification, here’s the link. I hope you get to try it!
http://www.herlifeislove.com/2017/03/31/korean-cooking-at-home-jjajangmyeon/
Jhuls
Hi, Paula. Wow! That’s great. I will check it out.
Btw, I have finished the K-drama I have been watching (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo) and I really loved it. I must say it’s one of my favorites. 🙂
Paula from Her Life is Love
Finished already? Wow, how many episodes was it? I STILL haven’t progressed any with the stuff I’m watching.
Jhuls
16 episodes and about an hour each 😀
Julie is Hostess At Heart
I love butternut squash too and love the way you’ve prepared it. It looks delicious!
Jhuls
Thanks a lot, Julie. The squash is delicious. 😉
Laura @ Feast Wisely
Lovely Jhuls – I’d also recommend trying to squash with the skin on – it adds even more flavour. I’ve also been slicing small squashes in half lengthways and then cooking them whole 😋
Jhuls
I thought the skin is to thick, haha. Anyway, I will try that next time. Thanks, Laura. 😉
Lily
I remember the first and only time I cut and peeled a butternut squash I broke a sweat lol. Now I buy them frozen or fresh already peeled and chopped, yes I’m that lazy. Anyways, your recipe looks amazingly! I can imagine how flavourful and tasty it must be with all those lovely spices – yum!
Jhuls
I don’t really peel squash or anything alike. This time, I had no one with me, so I was forced to do so. Haha. And we are not lazy, we are just reserving our energy for more stuff. 😀 Thanks a bunch for the visit, Lily.
goatsandgreens
It’s really great fun to find new recipes for winter squash – it’s so good for you, and can be made very tasty as well! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Fridays!
Jhuls
I could eat this or anything squash everyday. 😀 Thanks for stopping by. x
Elaine @ foodbod
Very nice!!! Great flavours 🙂
As a tip…I never peel butternut squash when I roast it. You can eat the skin, it’s tasty and isn’t tough or anything. It’s a lot easier than peeling! xx
Jhuls
Oh really? Thank goodness, I’ll never have to peel again😅 Thanks, Elaine. Have a lovely weekend!
Elaine @ foodbod
And you xxx
Monika
Wow, this must be so delicious! Love your cajun spice mixture! Thanks for sharing with FF:)
Jhuls
Thanks, Monika. I am glad this turned out really nice. Happy FF!
Blogtastic Food
Very nice. Looks delicious! (:
Jhuls
Thank you so much!😊
Ann GrubbsnCritters
I’m not a big fan of squash but this looks absolutely delicious! Easily mistaken for mangoes! 🙂
Jhuls
I’ll never get tired of eating squash. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Jess
Peeling and cutting squash can be quite the ordeal, but I’m willing to go through it to yield great results like this dish. Sounds great Jhuls!
Jhuls
Next time, I’ll let somebody do it for me.😂 Thanks, Jess. Happy weekend and happy FF!
Loretta
Wonderful warm spices in this dish, it looks gorgeous! You’re right about trying to peel a butternut squash, oh my!!
Jhuls
Elaine doesn’t peel the squash so I may try it next time. Glad to chat with you, Loretta. Have a fab weekend!