Fridge Raid Friday Traybake
Friday nights were basically made for this recipe. You've got a fridge full of bits, you can't be bothered with anything complicated, and you want something that actually tastes incredible. That's exactly where this traybake comes in. Butternut squash goes all sweet and caramelised, the chickpeas get a bit crispy, and the whole thing is lifted by smoky paprika, cumin, and those jammy roasted lemon slices. Honestly, once you've had roasted lemon in a traybake you'll never go back. Chuck it all in, bung it in the oven, and pour yourself a drink.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Large baking tray
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 2 red onions
- 2 lemons
- 1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- handful of black olives
- 5 large garlic cloves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- salt to taste
- olive oil
- good quality jar of pesto
- fresh chopped parsley
- plant-based yoghurt
- pepper to taste
Method
Prepare the ingredients
- Peel the butternut squash and cut into bite-sized chunks.
- Peel the red onions and cut each into six pieces.
- Slice the lemon into thin slices
Prepare the traybake
- Place the butternut squash pieces into a large baking tray, along with the onion slices, drained chickpeas, black olives, lemon slices and whole garlic cloves.
- Drizzle over a good amount of olive oil, the cumin seeds, smoked paprika and a good pinch of salt.
- Mix well until everything is coated in the oil and roast in the oven for 35 minutes, or until soft.
Finish the dish
- Once the traybake is cooked, remove from the oven and dollop over some big spoonfuls of yoghurt and pesto.
- Sprinkle with parsley and some cracked pepper.
Tips & Variations
- Swap your veg: We love this with whatever needs using up. Courgette, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, even leftover roasted potatoes work brilliantly here. Don't overthink it.
- Give it a crispy finish: If your chickpeas aren't as golden as you'd like after 45 minutes, crank the oven up to full blast for the last 5 minutes. Makes a real difference to the texture.
- Add something fresh at the end: Henry always adds a big handful of fresh parsley or some crumbled feta right before serving. It lifts everything and makes it look proper stunning too.
Why This Works
The trick here is the lemon slices roasting directly in the tray. They go soft and almost jammy, and every bite gets this gorgeous citrusy hit that cuts right through the richness of the squash and olive oil. The whole garlic cloves are doing quiet magic too, they mellow out completely and turn buttery and sweet by the time everything's done. Trust us on this one, don't skip either of those.