Craving a gluten-free, vegan dish that’s deliciously filling and eye-appealing? Of course, you are. So, stop looking and try this roasted butternut squash recipe, inspired by Oh She Glows. It checks all the boxes: vegan and free of gluten, refined sugar and soy.
Featuring tender chunks of sweet golden squash tossed with garlic, parsley and kale — all topped with a toasted almond pecan mixture — every colorful, flavorful bite will delight your hungry palate.
ALSO TRY: Maple-balsamic roasted butternut squash with garlic
Butternut squash, with its hard exterior and large, bulbous shape, can be intimidating if you’ve never cooked with winter squash. You’ll find, however, that this tasty fruit (yes, botanically, squash is classified as a fruit!) is quite simple to prepare.
This recipe calls for roasting the whole squash to soften it enough for easy slicing and dicing. We recommend poking a few holes in the squash with a knife before roasting to prevent pressure from building up inside the squash cavity. Believe it or not, winter squash can explode! Though the initial 12-minute roasting time in this recipe is probably not long enough to pose an explosion risk, poking holes in any squash you’re roasting is a good idea.
Winter squash shortcut: You also can cook whole butternut squash in the microwave (remember — poke those holes first) for five minutes to soften it enough to peel, slice and dice, then proceed with the recipe.
Next, you’ll toss the diced squash with the fragrant garlic and parsley mixture and continue to roast until the squash is fork-tender. While the squash is cooking, you can chop the almonds and pecans coarsely and combine them with the nutritional yeast, salt and oil.
Ingredient note: Nutritional yeast is a popular cheese alternative for vegan and dairy-free diets. It’s a deactivated yeast that exudes a strong nutty flavor — meaning more is not necessarily better. Start with small amounts, then add more to taste.
You’ll toss the chopped kale with the squash and top it with the almond-pecan mixture. Baked until the nuts are lightly toasted and fragrant, the kale will wilt slightly and add nutrition and deep color to the dish.
Serving suggestion: Though butternut squash is often served as a side dish, this hearty recipe is satisfying enough to be an entree on your vegan dinner table.
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In small bowl, mix minced garlic, parsley, oil and salt
This will be a tangy, herbacous dressing for the butternut squash.
Remove butternut squash from oven and let cool
Roasting the squash creates a tender and rich flesh that can be cubed and used however you like.
Peel butternut squash and trim ends
Peeling the butternut squash is easier to do once it is roasted. Skin should come off easily and the ends will be a cinch to trim.
Remove seeds for roasted butternut squash with almond-pecan parmesan
Use a small sturdy spoon to dig out the seeds in the center of the squash. Toss or rinse seeds clean and roast them in the oven for a tasty snack!
Dice butternut squash
Cut into bite-size cubes, and toss into roasting pan.
Toss butternut squash with parsley dressing
Mix cubed butternut squash with the dressing. Be sure to coat all pieces evenly.
Cover with foil to roast
This helps prevent the squash from drying out in the oven.
Use almonds and pecans to create nut mixture
Use your handy-dandy food processor to blend the nuts up. Pecans and almonds compliment each other nicely in crunch and flavor.
Add chopped kale to roasted butternut squash with almond-pecan parmesan
The kale not only gives a bright pop of color to this dish, but it is so good for you, too!
Pour in nut mixture and cook a few minutes longer
Putting the butternut squash back in the oven to continue roasting brings out the flavor of the nuts.
Roasted to perfection!
A wonderfully comforting side dish. This is the perfect compliment to any meal or holiday.
What a gorgeous side dish
Guests will want to try this dish simply because of how beautiful it looks!
So many textures and flavors to savor
The crunch of the nuts is the perfect compliment to the creamy butternut squash.
Want a bite?
Good right out of the oven or reheated for leftovers, this dish a sure winner!
Roasted butternut squash with almond-pecan parmesan (VEGAN/GF)
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
For squash:
- 1 medium/large butternut squash (2 to 2-1/2 pounds)
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup stemmed, roughly chopped kale
For topping:
- 1/4 cup whole almonds
- 1/4 cup pecan halves
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place squash in an ovenproof casserole dish and roast oven for 12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
- When cool enough to touch, peel squash. Thinly slice off bottom and top ends, and then slice through middle lengthwise to make two halves. Remove seeds with spoon. Cut halves into fourths, then slice into 1-inch chunks. Place into casserole dish.
- In small bowl, mix minced garlic, parsley, oil and salt. Pour into casserole dish and toss until combined with squash. Do not add kale yet.
- Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400F for about 45 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.
- While butternut squash is baking, in mini food processor, pulse topping ingredients together until coarsely chopped.
- Remove squash from oven and reduce heat to 350F. Remove foil.
- Stir in chopped kale and sprinkle topping over squash.
- Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, uncovered, until nuts are lightly toasted. Serve warm.
Courses Sides