Sweet and Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash

This Sweet and Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash is a quick and easy side dish that’s full of Southwest flavors! Perfect to serve with your favorite protein or add it to the top of a salad.

Making a side dish to go with dinner isn’t a strength of mine. Most of the time we don’t need a side dish because the meal I make is pretty complete and balanced. But on nights where I just grill some chicken or bake a piece of salmon, we need something to go along with it. 

My go-to this winter has been this sweet and spicy roasted butternut squash. I first made this to have with our grilled turkey breast on Christmas. Since the turkey was seasoned with southwest spices, I figured I might as well continue the theme and make southwest spiced butternut squash too. 

It’s so flavorful and has the perfect balance of heat from the chili powder and sweetness from the honey. It’s effortless to make and the leftovers hold up really well for the better part of a week. 

Ingredients Needed to Make Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash

• butternut squash

• olive oil

• chili powder and ground cumin

• honey

• pepitas

• cilantro (optional)

How to Make Sweet and Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash

Making this side dish is so easy it hardly needs a recipe or directions. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Put the peeled and cubed butternut squash on it. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and sprinkle on the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Toss everything together with your hands until all the squash is coated.

Make sure the squash is in a single layer and not overly crowded on the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400° F. tossing it halfway through the roasting time. Remove the pan from the oven, drizzle on the honey, and toss it around until it’s coated.

Put the squash in a serving bowl and sprinkle on the pepitas and chopped cilantro. That’s all there is to it. Quick and easy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use A Different Kind of Squash?

Yes. Almost any variety of winter squash will work. Acorn, delicata, buttercup, hubbard and kabocha are all different varieties that will work well as a replacement for the butternut squash in this recipe. You could also use sweet potatoes if you prefer.

What are Pepitas?

Pepitas are pumpkin seeds without the hull. Meaning they don’t have the white exterior around them that you see when you carve your Halloween pumpkin. They come from a couple varieties of pumpkin that have hull-less seeds in them. I use pepitas in lot of my salad and side dish recipes, like this Maple Orange Sweet Potato Salad. I love the crunchy, nutty flavor and they’re an inexpensive alternative if you can’t eat nuts.

Serving Suggestions

• Baked Green Chile Chicken
• Chipotle Maple Grilled Salmon
• Mini Chicken Enchilada Cups
• Steak Fajita Skewers with Cilantro Chimichurri 

More Roasted Butternut Squash Recipes

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup

Butternut Squash Sausage and Ricotta Pizza