Butternut Squash Is 10x More Flavorful When Paired With This Warm Spice Mix

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With its naturally sweet and almost nutty flavor, butternut squash lends itself to being roasted with all kinds of spices and herbs. And while it may sound a little unexpected at first, one particularly good match is chai spice. This warming blend of spices often features cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. These spices do a lot to bring out the squash's sweetness whilst also adding a fragrant and gently spicy kick that makes the final dish that much more interesting. 

Of course, this spice blend is popular as the base for chai lattes, one of the best fall drinks, especially if you're not a pumpkin spice fan, but it has a lot to offer in savory cooking too. While the cinnamon has a sweet warmth, ginger and black pepper bring heat, and the cardamom has an almost citrusy note. Together they give roasted butternut squash a depth that salt and pepper alone can't match. You just need to sprinkle it over your butternut squash and roast it as usual with a little butter or oil and maple syrup until the edges caramelize. 

It's all about balance; too much of one thing (especially pepper or clove) can easily overwhelm, so sprinkle one large butternut squash with just one or two teaspoons of chai spice. While a homemade mix gives you control over the proportions of the many spices inside, store-bought blends, like Spicewalla's masala chai mix on Amazon, are also available and can save you a bit of time as well as pantry space. The only caveat is that some may contain sugar or other additions you're not looking to cook with, so check the ingredients list before sprinkling onto your squash. 

Once your chai-spiced butternut squash is finished, create a little contrast to the sweet heat by topping it with some more savory ingredients like pumpkin seeds, fresh thyme, or crumbled goat cheese. You could even just sprinkle a generous pinch of sea salt (it's a salt you should always have in your kitchen) before serving to help bring all those flavors into focus. A squeeze of lemon is particularly good here as the acidity can cut through the sweetness and bring a fresher note to the warming spices. The squash can be served warm as a side dish next to roast chicken or pork. It also tastes delicious inside a cold grain bowl or fall salad with peppery arugula, walnuts, and sliced apples. You could even blend it into an otherwise simple butternut squash soup – the chai spices will do a lot to add some extra warmth to the bowl.