Roasted hasselback butternut squash combines simple ingredients and just a few minutes of effort to create a stunning, delicious side dish fit for a special occasion.
Don’t you just love a dish that takes minimal effort and ingredients and looks a million dollars? I know I do!
Anything that takes a few minutes to knock together, but is guaranteed to raise an “ooooh!” when it’s brought to the table, is my kind of recipe.
New Year’s Eve dinner
I first made roasted hasselback butternut squash as part of a special New Year’s Eve dinner. It succeeded massively on looking impressive, and it tasted the business too, but it was not minimal effort. The recipe I followed involved two stages of roasting, making a glaze from scratch and reducing it down, multiple bastings…
All of which would be fine if I didn’t have to prepare the rest of the meal at the same time!
Easy hasselback butternut squash
I felt certain there was a way to produce a similar result – delicious hasselback butternut squash, roasted to perfection and full of flavour – but with a few, ahem, shortcuts. And I set out to find it.
Cutting all the corners
The original instructions I followed called for roasting my squash, slicing it, and then roasting it some more.
Instead, I simply blasted it in the microwave for a few minutes, till it was soft enough to slice, then carried on as before. Time & effort saved = 10-15 minutes.
Hasselback squash – quick glaze
Rather than making a complicated glaze from multiple ingredients, boiling them down, etc etc. I considered what I had that already combined the flavours I was after.
The original recipe used chillies simmered in a brown sugar syrup that had to be reduced and strained… I simply substituted ready-made sweet chilli sauce and we were almost done! Time & effort saved = 15-20 minutes.
Ready to slice
Of course you can’t hasselback a squash without spending a few minutes slicing!
I find the easiest way to create hasselback cuts that don’t quite go all the way through is as follows:
- Place a chopstick on either side of the butternut squash.
- Cut through the squash until the blade of your knife hits the chopsticks, preventing you from cutting right through to the board.
- Move your knife along the squash and make the next cut as above.
- Continue until your entire butternut squash is hasselbacked!
This easy little chopstick trick means you can slice more quickly, without worrying about the exact depth of your cuts, safe in the knowledge that your hasselback butternut squash will be cut perfectly.
Glaze and roast
Once sliced, it’s a simple matter of brushing over the glaze and tucking in some sprigs of rosemary before roasting.
I love the flavour of rosemary with butternut squash, but you could also use sage leaves, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, or whatever woody herbs you enjoy.
Easy hasselback butternut squash – ingredients
This super easy recipe has only a few ingredients, thanks to my ingenious shortcuts! To make it yourself, all you will need is:
- Butternut squash – obviously!
- Sweet chilli sauce – choose a hotter or a sweeter one depending on your preference
- Fresh rosemary – or whatever ‘woody’ herbs you like e.g. bayleaves, sage, thyme etc.
- Olive oil
And that’s it!
The recipe uses one medium squash and serves about 4-6 people as a side dish but you can easily scale up to feed more people.
Roasted hasselback butternut squash
You can baste/glaze your hasselback butternut squash again during cooking, but it isn’t essential. So if you’re busy with other things, just leave it to cook.
It will still look and taste a million dollars when it emerges from the oven!
If you want deliciously easy, family-friendly recipes like this one delivered straight to your inbox, simply click here to subscribe. (Of course, I’ll never pass on your email address to anyone.)
Easy hasselback butternut squash with sweet chilli and rosemary
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil + plus a little extra for greasing the dish
- 2 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Peel the butternut squash. Slice it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Place the two halves of squash in a glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon water. Cover and microwave on high for 4-6 minutes until tender to the point of a knife.
- Carefully remove the squash from the baking dish – it will be hot! Wipe any water from the dish and brush lightly with olive oil.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Place one of the squash halves on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife, make cuts at 4-5mm (approx. ¼ inch) intervals along the squash, taking care not to cut right through. I find the easiest way to do this is to place a chopstick on either side of the squash, which prevents the knife going right down to the board. Once the first squash half has been 'hasselbacked', return it to the baking dish and repeat with the other half.
- Whisk together the olive oil and the sweet chilli sauce. Brush this mixture liberally over the squash, and in between some of the slices if possible. Tuck in a few pieces of rosemary, then coarsely chop the remaining leaves and sprinkle over.
- Bake the squash at 180°C (350°F) for 30-40 minutes until tender and fragrant. You can baste it with glaze again during cooking if you like – it will give a glossier appearance but is not essential.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Nutrition
More deliciously easy side dish recipes
Other delicious and easy roasted vegetable side dishes for you to enjoy include:
JC Peles
Really not into sqash so I thought I’d just take a quick look but I ended up checking everything. Anyway, will forward this page to a couple of friends who are starting to get fond of cooking!
Helen
Thanks! I hope they enjoy it too.
Katherine
THis looks so good! Great idea to microwave it to soften it up for slicing.
Helen
Thanks Katherine. I love a shortcut 🙂
Tonje
I have never had butternut squash with sweet chili sauce, but it was such a great combination!
Helen
Thanks Tonje – so glad you enjoyed it!
kim
So scrumptious! I love how fancy, yet easy these are. Will definitely make again!
Helen
Thanks Kim. Me too!!
Kelly Anthony
I also love a recipe that looks like I’ve spent hours in the kitchen while also tasting delicious and this recipe has both.
Helen
Thanks Kelly. It really does look fabulous doesn’t it!