Shawarma-Spiced Squash & Veggie Sausage Bake

Shawarma is technically a slow-cooked rotating-spit-of-meat dish. This isn't that. But it borrows shawarma's spice profile — cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic, lemon — and applies it to a quick traybake of squash and vegetarian sausages. The result tastes Middle-Eastern in the way that matters (warm, garlicky, slightly smoky from the paprika) without committing to the all-day project of actual shawarma.

The spice rub is the heart of the dish: 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garlic powder, a pinch of cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix in a bowl, toss with cubed squash and a few tablespoons of olive oil. The sausages get rubbed in the same spice. Everything goes in the air-fryer basket together for 20 minutes.

The yogurt sauce balances the warm spice: Greek yogurt, lemon juice, grated cucumber (squeezed of moisture), garlic, mint, salt. Stir together — it gets better as it sits. The lettuce wraps add crunch and freshness.

The photo shows the assembled plate: warm flatbread on the bottom, shawarma-rust-coloured squash chunks scattered, sausages on top (showing dark-charred edges), butterhead leaves on one side, yogurt sauce on the other, fresh thyme sprig as garnish. The kind of dinner that looks like it took longer than it did.