South African Butternut Bake with Cinnamon and Sesame

About This Recipe

Sweetened butternut squash is a familiar side dish across South African tables, particularly around Sunday lunches and holiday meals, where roasted or boiled squash is finished with a glaze of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon that caramelizes into a sticky, deeply flavored coating. It's a dish that leans unapologetically toward sweetness, standing in for a dessert-like side alongside otherwise savory roasts and stews, a combination distinctly rooted in South African home cooking rather than found widely elsewhere. Roasting the squash first, rather than boiling it, concentrates its natural sweetness and avoids the wateriness that can come from boiling, giving the cinnamon glaze something firmer and more flavorful to cling to. The glaze itself needs real reduction time in a hot oven or under a broiler so the sugar caramelizes properly rather than staying a thin, syrupy coating. A scatter of toasted sesame seeds at the end, while not the most traditional addition, provides a pleasant nutty crunch against the soft, sweet squash, playing a similar textural role that toasted nuts sometimes fill in other regional versions. Served warm alongside a roast or braai meats, this dish shows how South African home cooking comfortably blends sweet and savory on the same plate.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 largebutternut squash(peeled and cut into chunks)
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 4 tbspbutter
• 0.33 cupbrown sugar
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 0.25 tspground nutmeg
• 2 tbspsesame seeds(toasted)

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the squash

   Toss butternut squash chunks with oil and salt. Roast at 200°C (400°F) for 25 minutes until just tender.

2. 2

   Make the glaze

   Melt butter with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small pan until smooth and slightly thickened.

3. 3

   Coat the squash

   Transfer the roasted squash to a baking dish and pour the cinnamon glaze evenly over the top, tossing gently to coat.

   Toss gently so the squash chunks stay mostly intact rather than breaking apart into mush.

4. 4

   Bake to caramelize

   Return to the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until the glaze has thickened and caramelized around the squash.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Scatter with toasted sesame seeds and serve warm alongside roast meats.

Variations

• •

  Add a splash of orange juice to the glaze for extra brightness and a citrusy note.

• •

  Use pumpkin in place of butternut squash if that's more available.

• •

  Add chopped pecans instead of or alongside sesame seeds for a different, more traditional crunch.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; reheat in a covered dish in the oven or microwave, since the glaze can separate slightly if reheated too quickly on high heat.

Frequently Asked Questions