---
title: "Roasted squash and onions with tahini, za’atar, and walnuts"
url: "https://probablyworthsharing.com/recipes/roasted-squash-and-onions-with-tahini-zaatar-and-walnuts/"
author: "Marko Savic"
published: "2022-09-29"
type: "recipe"
description: "Squash and onion are roasted together, then topped with garlicky tahini dressing, za'atar herb, and toasted nuts. It's a beautiful, flavorful recipe you…"
---

# Roasted squash and onions with tahini, za’atar, and walnuts

There are some recipes that stick with you your whole life. This is one of them. I first made this 10 years ago to try to impress a date, and I remember the recipe more than I remember the guy. It’s in the top 5 of my favourite recipes of all time. It’s my go-to recipe when I want to impress a date, serve a vegetarian main, or make a great side dish through fall and winter. It’s perfect served warm, but the leftovers are great straight from the fridge.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHabNa2mCas

I’ve added a few changes to Ottolenghi’s recipe over the years, so you can [try the original here](https://www.bonappetit.com/events/promotions/article/yotam-ottolenghi-s-roasted-butternut-squash-recipe). I peel the squash, add much more lemon, replace the pine nuts with less expensive walnuts, and bloom the za’atar in olive oil. I encourage you to play with the recipe.

## Ingredients

**Roasted vegetables:**

* 1kg butternut squash (1 large)
* 700g red onions (2 medium)
* 45g | 3 tbsp olive oil
* 5g | 1 tsp salt (if using Diamond)
* 4 ice cubes (optional)

**Dressing:**

* 60g tahini
* 30g lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
* 30g water
* 1 small clove garlic
* 1-2 pinches of salt (1/4 tsp if using Diamond)

**Toppings:**

* 15g olive oil
* 45g walnuts, pistachios, almonds, or pine nuts
* 1 tbsp. za'atar
* 1 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
* Black pepper to taste
* Flakey salt, like Maldon, optional

## Method

### Roast the squash and onions

* Preheat oven to 475°F
* Peel your butternut squash using a vegetable peeler; if you are getting a new harvest squash in September/October and the skin is still thin, you can leave it on (I don’t like it, it can get leathery while roasting)
* Cut your butternut squash into roughly 2-1/2” long x 3/4” wide wedges.

	* First, lay down your squash on your cutting board so it runs lengthwise from left to right. Cut off the top and bottom, then divide it into 3 or 4 equal lengths roughly 2-1/2” long
	* Use a spoon to remove the seeds where necessary, you can save these to roast like pumpkin seeds
	* Stand each piece up so the flat side is down, and cut into 4 or 6 pieces, depending on how big your squash is. You want finished pieces around 3/4” thick.
* Cut your onions in half, then into a similar size as the squash, this will be 4, 6, or 8 pieces depending on how big your onions are
* In a large bowl, toss the onions and squash with 45g olive oil and 5g salt; if you toss this right on the baking sheet you’ll have a harder time cleaning up the baking sheet later. It’s easier to wash the bowl.
* Transfer to a single layer on a baking sheet
* Add 4 ice cubes to the baking sheet; the ice cubes will melt instantly in the oven and create steam. The steam will help the squash cook faster, so it will be tender by the time it’s crispy.
* Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the squash has crispy edges and is cooked through, you can test this by seeing if a paring knife inserts without resistance
* If the onions begin to char before the squash is ready, remove them from them oven and put the squash back in
* Allow to cool to room temperature

### Toast the nuts

* In a frying pan, add 15g of olive oil and the nuts
* Turn the heat on medium and cook until the nuts are deeply toasted. For walnuts and almonds this will take 8-10 minutes. For pistachios or pine nuts this will take 3-5 minutes.
* Remove the nuts from the heat to stop cooking

### Toast the spices

* In the same pan used for the nuts, add 15g olive oil and heat until shimmering
* Add the za’atar and heat for 30 seconds until fragrant and immediately remove from heat to a bowl
* This is an optional step, you can put the spice on dry

### Make the dressing

* In a medium bowl, add the tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic, a pinch of salt, and whisk until combined
* Adjust the taste and texture as needed, it should have the texture of honey

	* Too loose: add tahini
	* Too thick: add lemon juice or water (use water if it’s already quite bright or tangy, but I generally add more lemon)

### Assemble

* In a serving bowl or platter, arrange the squash and onions
* Drizzle the tahini dressing on top
* Sprinkle the nuts, spoon the za’atar, and parsley on top

Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers are great cold.

### Notes:

Pine nuts are *very* expensive. While they are delicious, I don’t think they are worth the $20 extra they add to this recipe.

You can use any robust squash, like acorn or pumpkin, as well. Honey nut squash would be very good.