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Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices is unique and delicious, and this would be an amazing side dish to serve all winter long. Or try the variation that cooks the squash with a bit of smoked paprika if you prefer that flavor combination! 

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices (or Smoked Paprika) shown on serving platter with plaid napkin

Today I’m spotlighting Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices as a favorite recipe that’s a tasty side dish option any time of year when you’re using the oven. What makes this butternut squash special is the Moroccan spice mixture, discovered via Fine Cooking Magazine, and this mixture is good on a variety of roasted vegetables. The butternut squash tastes amazingly sweet and just a tiny bit exotic when it’s roasted with these spices, and even though the mixture has quite a few spices, I don’t think it’s spilling over into the category of what some of my relatives would call weird food.

I inherited the butternut squash gene from my Grandmother Denny, and I love all things butternut squash, but this is one of my very favorite recipes for roasted butternut squash. But I’m also giving you an option to make Butternut Squash with Smoked Paprika if you don’t want to make the Moroccan Spice Mix.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

  • butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • Olive Oil (affiliate link)
  • Moroccan Spice Mix (see below)
  • Kosher Salt (affiliate link)
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • sea salt, for seasoning cooked squash

What ingredients are in the Moroccan Spice Mix?

How much Moroccan Spice Mix do you need?

The spice mixture is great to keep on hand, so I highly recommend you make the full amount I’m giving here in the recipe, and then try it on other vegetables as well. Fine Cooking recommends using it on cauliflower, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and turnips, and I know it’s amazing on Air Fryer Carrots!

What if you don’t have all the spices for the Moroccan Spice Mix?

I’m guessing if you don’t have one or two of the spices listed here that this would still be tasty if you left them out, but I’d encourage you to make the spice mix as written if possible, because it is so, so, so, so good!

If you prefer to make Roasted Butternut Squash with Smoked Paprika, prepare squash as directed, combine 1 tsp. smoked sweet paprika, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion salt, 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper, 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, and 2 T extra-virgin olive oil, toss it with the butternut squash cubes, and cook according to directions in this recipe. That’s another tasty way to cook butternut squash!

How do you peel and cut up a butternut squash?

I think roasted butternut squash you peel and cut up yourself has so much flavor compared to the pre-cut squash cubes, and here is How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash if you need help with that. But if that’s just not happening at your house, this recipe will still be good with the pre-cut squash.

Still Hungry for Butternut Squash?

Use My Favorite Roasted Butternut Squash Recipes to see more of my butternut squash faves or use use Butternut Squash to see all the butternut squash recipes on the blog. And try Foil-Wrapped Grilled (or Baked) Butternut Squash with Sage for another fun and tasty idea for butternut squash!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices process shots collage

How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

  1. Toss the cut-up butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1 or two teaspoons of the spice mixture. 
  2. Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray and spread out the squash in a single layer, flat sides down.
  3. Roast at 450F/220C for about 40-50 minutes, turning it every 10-15 minutes.
  4. The first picture is how it looked after 15 minutes, and I turned it again after 30 minutes.
  5. Roast the squash about 40-50 minutes, or until it’s soft and starting to brown on the edges.
  6. Season with a a little more salt (preferably sea salt) and pepper if desired and serve hot.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices close-up of cooked squash on serving plate

More Tasty Recipes for Roasted Vegetables:

Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices finished dish on serving plate
Yield: 6 servings

Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices would be amazing for Thanksgiving, but seriously, make this all winter for an amazing side dish!

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • one 2.5 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 T olive oil (or slightly less if you prefer)
  • 2 tsp. Moroccan Spice Mix
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • sea salt, for seasoning cooked squash

(makes enough for quite a few batches of roasted veggies):

  • 2 T ground cumin
  • 1 T ground coriander
  • 1 1/2 tsp. chile powder or chili powder (I used ground Ancho chile)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp. ground allspice
  • 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t want it spicy at all)
  • pinch ground cloves (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450F/220C while you make the spice mix.
  2. Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray.
  3. Peel butternut squash with vegetable peeler, cut off ends, and cut squash into cubes about 1 inch square.
  4. Put squash in plastic bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and 2 tsp. spice mixture (more or less to taste).
  5. Stir well to get oil and spices evenly distributed on cut surfaces of the squash.
  6. Arrange squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. (If you take time to get a flat surface touching the baking sheet on each piece, that will improve browning.)
  7. Roast about 40-50 minutes, turning every 15 minutes or so.
  8. Squash is done when it is soft and slightly browned on quite a few of the edges.
  9. Season with sea salt and a little more pepper if desired, and serve hot.

Notes

This spice mix is also great on other roasted vegetables. Fine Cooking suggests carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and turnips.

Here is How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash if you need help with that. I highly recommend using freshly-cut squash for best flavor, but if that just won’t work for you this will still be delicious with the pre-cut squash cubes you see in the stores this time of year.

Recipe adapted slightly from Fine Cooking Magazine, November 2007.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109Total Fat: 4.8gSaturated Fat: .7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3.9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 272mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 5.3gSugar: 3.7gProtein: 1.7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Side Dishes
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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Butternut squash is a good choice for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet and other low-glycemic eating plans and this Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices will feel like a treat when you’re trying to eat healthy. Butternut squash is somewhat high in carbs for those on a stricter low-carb eating plan, although it does have quite a bit of fiber so check the nutritional information and see what you think.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Butternut Squash to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2007! The recipe was updated several times through the years and it was last updated with more information in 2021.

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