Brown Butter Roasted Butternut Squash

Brown Butter Roasted Butternut Squash with Lime and Chives is a super simple and crazy delicious side dish that’s just a little bit off the beaten path. Made with only 5 ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes, it’s sure to become one of your fall favorites.

I didn’t like butternut squash for the longest time, but I came across a recipe a few years ago for a curry that included it, and it turns out that it’s actually absolutely delicious! Who knew?? Well, a lot of people, I guess. But it was news to me.

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I started looking for butternut squash recipes everywhere I could find them. And I’ve found a few doozies, but this one is probably my favorite. It’s a classic roasted butternut squash, but made a little bit differently with the addition of lime juice, chives and (optionally) anchovy paste for an umami kick.

Shopping List for Roasted Butternut Squash with Lime and Chives

Butternut Squash

Butter

Anchovy Paste (optional)

Limes

Chives

Let’s Talk about Squash

Flavor: The flavor of the roasted squash really does come through as the star of this dish – the other flavors are there, and you can pick them out, but at its core this is all about the squash.

Texture: the texture is again, just of the butternut squash. If you like your squash a little softer, cook it for longer, if you like it firm, lessen the cooking time. The chives to add a little bit to the texture, but not much.

Ease: this is a crazy simple recipe to make. The only part that’s at all labor intensive is cutting up the squash and browning the butter. Here is a great article about how to peel and cut a butternut squash. The browning of the butter isn’t difficult – it just take a little bit of time.

Recipe Highlights:

Easy to make

Browned butter

Butternut squash

Lime and chives

Adaptable

Easy autumn side dish

FAQ’s

Can I use other types of squash in this recipe? Absolutely! This would be great with any of the fall squashes – kabocha, acorn or delicata to name a few. You could probably also make this with zucchini squash or yellow squash, but obviously the cooking times would differ greatly. You could also make this with potatoes!

I don’t like anchovies! I know a lot of people don’t like anchovies, or more accurately they think they don’t like anchovies. They’re not an ingredient you can actually taste in the dish, but their presence just adds the little extra oomph to the final deal. If you can’t get past it (I understand, I was the same once 😊) you could substitute white miso or capers, or Worcestershire sauce. You could also leave it out entirely.

Can I use something besides chives? Of course! Any delicate herb would do here. Cilantro is a natural pairing with lime. Parsley would be great. Sage is a classic. You want something that will wilt a little bit with the heat of the roasted butternut squash.

How do I store the leftovers? Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave.

Tips and Tricks:

If you’ve never browned butter before, know that you need to just be patient. The process can take anywhere from 6-10 minutes. I don’t like to up the heat because it can go from browned to burnt in a second.

Start checking your squash a few minutes before the time is up. If a sharp knife slides right in, it’s done. There’s nothing worse than mushy squash.

When cutting chives, the easiest thing to use is scissors. You can just hold a bunch of them in your hand and snip the top of them with the scissors. Much easier than using a knife.