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Gut Friendly Jerk-spiced Roast Butternut Squash with Citrus Salsa

01st July 2026

Packed with beta-carotene and vitamin C, this side dish will not only boost your immunity but will add a sweet flavour to your main. 

  • Health and Wellbeing

  • gut health

  • Food & Drink

Butternut Squash .png

Ingredients

500g butternut squash

For the jerk marinade:
1tsp ground cinnamon
2tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1tsp ground allspice
1tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
2tbsp thyme leaves stripped from the stalks 
15g fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 small Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded
Juice of 1 lime
6 spring onions 
30g clarified butter
2 garlic cloves

For the mango salsa:
1 lemon, segmented and juice reserved
2 oranges, segmented and juice reserved 
250g ripe mango, peeled, stoned and cut into 5mm dice
A few coriander springs, chopped
pinch of sea salt
4 red spring onions, chopped
1/2 Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
pinch of ground allspice 
4tsp olive oil 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 °C
Peel the butternut squash, using a potato peeler and remove the seeds with a dessertspoon. Cut it into discs, about 1cm thick.
Blend all the ingredients for the jerk marinade in a food processor until the mixture forms a thick paste. You might need to add a dash of cold water to loosen it a little.
Mix the butternut squash into the marinade and then place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ready for cooking later.
Make the salsa: chop the citrus fruit segments into 5mm chunks.
In a stainless steel bowl, mix all the ingredients together and set aside for at least 1 hour.
The salsa is best made the day before and kept in the fridge overnight.
Roast the jerk-spiced butternut squash in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally, until the edges are just starting to char slightly.
Remove from the oven and serve the warm squash, drizzled with the salsa.
If wished, this can be eaten cold as a salad.

This recipe is taken from Gut Gastronomy: Revolutionise Your Eating to Create Great Health, by Vicky Edgson & Adam Palmer. This is a great Gut-Friendly cookbook which is based on the health regime devised by Elaine Williams and Stephanie Moore, our Gut Health Programme Leader. 

  • Health and Wellbeing

  • gut health

  • Food & Drink