Who else has had this experience? You google “Vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish” only to get search results with vegetarian pastas, lasagnas and other overly cheesy or heavy carb dishes. Or the other top search result…tofurky. Seriously?? Nothing against pasta, it’s a great veggie option for anytime of the week but Thanksgiving is the ultimate foodie holiday so why not try something a little more festive like this curried hasselback butternut squash. This Curried Hasselback Butternut Squash can even be made vegan.
Enter the Curried Hasselback Butternut Squash. Times have changed and vegetarians are no longer stuck eating only the carb-loaded mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. This is Curry Spiced Hasselback Squash will be the star of Thanksgiving for vegetarian and carnivores alike. With the hasselback pattern and bright red pomegranate seeds on top this beautiful butternut will even make meat eaters a little curious to take a taste. Its lowcarb so go ahead and pile on the side potatoes as the side dish they were intended to be.
A baked butternut squash with a little salt and pepper is good on its own. The curry spices of cumin, garam masala and turmeric in this dish along with the raita topping just bring the butternut squash over the top. To make this dish vegan, substitute the greek yogurt for cashew yogurt or other plant based yogurt. You can also opt to make this without the raita for another vegan option but cool yogurt does add a whole other of flavor so I would definitely recommend going for the cashew yogurt. https://www.foragerproject.com/all-products/dairy-free-yogurt/ (Not an ad).
When cutting the butternut squash, make sure to take your time with the cuts. Save about one centimeter at the bottom to avoid slicing it off. This is the only delicate part of the process but slicing too far down the squash will end up taking off a slice and the squash will not be whole anymore. However, if you end up piecing the squash accidentally just do your best to keep the slices close together when serving. The raita and seeds at the top will be a nice distraction anyway.
Curried Hasselback Butternut Squash
Equipment
- Cooking brush
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut squash
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tsp Garam masala
- 2 tsp Ground coriander
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or plant based yogurt
- 1 tbsp Water
- 1/2 cup Pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup Chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
- Peel the butternut squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds.
- Mix the olive oil, garam masala, turmeric, salt and coriander.
- Brush the bottom seeded side of the squash with some of the spice mix
- Place the squash down on a greased baking dish and put it in oven for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the squash from the oven.
- Let the squash cool for a few minutes
- Very carefully, cut slices into the squash but stop when you are about a centimeter from the bottom. Make the slices about 1/3 cm thick and make sure not to slice the squash all the way! While you are slicing, stop about 1 cm from the bottom of the squash.
- Brush the top of the squash with some of the spice mix.
- Put the squash back into the oven for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the squash from the oven and brush the remaining spice mix onto the squash.
- Put the squash back into the oven for 20 more minutes.
- While the squash is in the oven, mix the yogurt, water and cumin.
- When the squash is done, remove from the oven . Let cool for 5-10 minutes. After the squash cools, spread the yogurt on top and add the pomegranate seeds and cumin. For a vegan option, sprinkle the cumin on the squash before serving.