Roasted Butternut Squash With Pumpkin Seed Pesto Recipe

Seeds are tasty powerhouses of nutrition, and they have been growing in popularity. We wrote about the seed trend not long ago, so hopefully you know seeds are not leaving the plate anytime soon.

In this unique Roasted Butternut Squash recipe, we combined an herby pumpkin seed pesto with roasted squash, dried currants, and grated Manchego cheese to make a tasty and nutritious dish that is also comforting for a crisp autumn day.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH PUMPKIN SEED PESTO, CURRANTS, AND MANCHEGO CHEESE RECIPE

Ingredients

• • 2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 cup dried currants
  • 1 cup grated aged Manchego cheese
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

• 2 cups unsalted, hulled pumpkin seeds
• 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped sage
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped thyme

Instructions

1. 1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
   2. Toss pumpkin seeds with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with salt.
   3. Spread in even layer on baking pan and roast until fragrant and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
   4. Let cool.
   5. Combine cool seeds in a food processor with 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, parsley, sage, thyme, and remaining 6 tablespoons oil.
   6. Pulse until mixture forms a coarse paste, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

1. Heat the oven to 425ºF and lightly spray a roasting pan with baking spray.
2. Toss diced squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
3. Spread in even layer on pan and roast until tender and lightly browned (about 25 minutes), stirring once midway through cooking time.
4. When the squash is cooked, put it in a large bowl and toss lightly with about a half cup of pesto to coat. (You will have leftover pesto.)
5. Fold in currants.
6. Season to taste and garnish with grated cheese.
7. Serve warm.