Loaded Butternut With Herbs, Chilli & Apricot
Roasted butternut pumpkin alone is one of my favourite weekly staples. It’s easy to make, tastes sweet and has a beautiful soft texture. Butternut pumpkin is a Winter squash, closely related to zucchini and if it’s not part of your regular Winter recipe rotation, it should be.
In this recipe, I’ve elevated the natural sweetness of pumpkin with two of my favourite spices – naturally sweet cinnamon and earthy cumin. Then each element we make is packed with flavour on its own.
A creamy tahini coconut yoghurt spiked with hot sauce. It’s not a normal ingredient I use but I’ve just come across this one from Undivided Food Co. and I cannot get enough. I’ve been making this yoghurt recipe and putting it on everything, even tacos.
We’ve then got a herby salsa which adds a necessary burst of zest and freshness, and we top everything with toasted pine nuts and dried apricots which, as you’ll see, totally take this dish to new heights.
Make this loaded butternut for a lunch or dinner event, for something everyone will love. Serve it as a side, in a banquet of other incredible dishes or even as a plant based main. I guarantee you everyone who tastes it will love it.
Loaded Butternut With Herbs, Chilli & Apricot
A roasted butternut topped with creamy yoghurt sauce, herby salsa and pine nuts.
Serves:
6
Prep time:
30 minutes
Cook time:
30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 butternut pumpkin
- ½ tsp cinnamon, ground
- ½ tsp cumin, ground
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Chilli Tahini Yoghurt
- 1 cup “Greek” coconut yoghurt
- 3 tbsp tahini
- ½ tsp hot sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Herby Salsa
- ½ bunch coriander
- ½ bunch mint
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ½ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
To serve
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 8 dried apricots, finely chopped
METHOD
- Preheat an oven to 220°C
- Slice the pumpkin in quarters and scrape out the seeds. Sprinkle over cinnamon, cumin and salt and pepper. Coat generously with olive oil and place in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes until soft.
- Meanwhile combine the coriander, mint, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper in a small food processor. You can do this by hand too in a mortar and pestle, or in a bowl. Make sure to chop the herbs finely.
- Prepare the yoghurt sauce by adding the yoghurt, tahini and hot sauce to a bowl. Stir until no lumps remain. Season with salt and pepper.
- To serve, drip the yoghurt sauce over the pumpkin, top with coriander sauce, pine nuts and apricots.
Notes
- To toast pine nuts, place in a dry pan over a medium heat and toast until golden and fragrant, watching carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- You can use dairy Greek yoghurt or a coconut based “Greek” yoghurt like this one (I’m obsessed with it).
- I use Undivided Food Co hot sauce. It’s incredible.
- If you can, look for sulphite free apricots like these. They are darker in colour.
About Liv
I’m a holistic nutritionist (BSc) and healthy chef and I’m obsessed with waking up every day happy to be alive and excited for the day ahead, and eating incredible nourishing food!
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I have been looking for the recipe since I saw it on your instagram page. I grow my own pumpkins and they are among my favorite treats to eat so this recipe will be the first to try when I pick the first ripe pumpkin. Thank you very much Liv for all the amazing recipes and articles, it feels like having a friend 🙂
Yay! Enjoy this one. I wish I grew my own pumpkins!