Spiced roasted butternut squash, you just can’t go wrong with a side dish like this one! Our cumin and coriander spiced butternut with tahini dressing
It is scrumptious!
The ground cumin and coriander are warm and comforting, while the tahini and coriander bring a cool and refreshing flavour.
This makes it an all year around crowd pleaser.

We said this spiced roasted butternut was easy to make, and here is why…
It is as simple as 1..2..3
Cut the butternuts in half – length ways. Lay them comfortably in a baking tray, sprinkle over the spices, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil – give them a little rub so all those spices infuse. Pop in the over and roast away until tender and slightly caramelised on the edges.
Sound good?
Once the roasted butternut are done, you can remove them from the oven and set aside until you are ready to serve.
Set them on a serving platter, drizzle with the tahini dressing, sprinkle with fresh coriander and watch your families smiles grow as they enjoy this accompaniment to the meal.

What Are The Benefits of Eating Butternut?
Butternut is a nutritious vegetable and it is delicious. It makes a great substitute for potato and there are a variety of ways to enjoy it, so, if you get bored of cooking it one way, change it up and cook it a little different – roasted, stir fried, mashed, juices or made into a soup.
When it comes to gut health, one thing that is really important is to get a good amount of fibre into our diets, and butternut has an ample dose.
Butternut is rich in potassium and vitamin B6, a vital nutrient in maintaining our nervous and immune system.
Lets taking a look at some of the healing benefits we get from butternut:
- Aids Gut Health – As we mentioned above, butternut is a great source of dietary fibre. In fact, 1 cup of butternut contains around 7 grams of fibre. This promotes regularity, prevents constipation and maintains a healthy gut by supporting its good bacteria.
- Boosts Immunity – Butternut is also a rich source of vitamin C and beta-carotene, this important vitamin is vital in helping reduce your risk of infections, especially a lung infection such as pneumonia.
- May Help with Weight Loss – The high fiber content in butternut increase satiety, which is the the feeling of fullness. On top of that, 1 cup of butternut contains only about 100 calories, 26 carbs and very little fat.
- Reduces Inflammation – This vibrant vegetable has a high antioxidant content, beta-cryptoxanthin to be specific. A super antioxidant for helping you to reduce your risk of inflammation-related disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
Here are a few more reasons to love Butternut:

What benefits impress you the most? Comment below, we would love to hear them.

Why Not Try These Butternut Recipes as well…
Feeling inspired to get this scrumptious vegetable into your diets, more regularly? Try our other butternut recipes below.
- Butternut and Goats Cheese Salad
- Winter Harvest Salad with Herby Dressing
- Healthy Savory Mince – P.S this recipe doesn’t call for butternut but it will make a great substitute for the carrots or sweet potato in the recipe, or just add in the extra butternut as well as the other veggies, because why not.

What Is Tahini?
Also known as Sesame Seed Butter, Tahini is sesame seeds that have been blended to form a paste or ‘butter’
“The New York Times calls Tahini one of the ‘mother sauces’ that cooks should master.”
This is for good reason, it is versatile, you can use it in sweet and savoury dishes. It has a rich and creamy taste.
Apart from its delicious taste and versatility, tahini has some incredible noteworthy health benefits.
Here is why we love using tahini:
- Improves brain health, this is due to it being rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Helps maintain a healthy immune system, this is due to its copper, iron, selenium and zinc contents.
- May help in reducing bad cholesterol.
- Tahini is a rich source of antioxidants, especially lignans.
- Its high magnesium content can help regulate blood sugar levels.

Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash w/ Tahini Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 – 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 – 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour +
- Yield: 4 – 6
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Ingredients
2 whole butternut squash
2 tablespoon olive oil
Fresh thyme sprigs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Handful of fresh coriander
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 200C and line a pan with parchment paper.
- Slice the butternut in half lengthwise. Place the squash onto the prepared pan and top with thyme and spices. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes or until cooked through and tender.
For The Dressing
- To make the dressing, whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add 1 to 2 tbsp cold water to loosen the dressing.
- Drizzle the tahini dressing over the cooked squash, sprinkle with coriander and serve.
Notes
You can also add extra fresh chopped herbs into the dressing for added flavour.