Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does butternut squash need to be peeled before roasting? ›

Learn how to roast butternut squash the EASY WAY without any prep work. No pre-peeling, chopping or deseeding (yes really!). Just whole-roast it in the oven until soft and tender.

Butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes, should be perfectly roasted after about 25 to 35 minutes in an oven heated to 400 degrees F. When it's done, the squash should be lightly browned and easily pierced with a fork.

Steaming, boiling, microwaving, and pressure cooking are quick moist-heat ways to soften the flesh of this winter squash. These methods don't add much flavor, but they are great for soups and purees. Personally, roasting tastes the best.

Squashes behave very differently when cooked in the oven or on the stovetop. Generally, a squash that is roasted in the oven is going to have a much softer texture, one that can get mushy if mixed with other ingredients, but making it ideal for a purée, soup, or being mashed.

Most recipes say to either bake or roast butternut squash—but what's the difference? While both cooking methods will turn the tough, raw gourd into a soft, sweet ingredient, roasting butternut squash is the more common process for achieving browned, crispy edges and a creamy interior.

When is butternut squash in season? Butternut squash are harvested in late summer and autumn, but because they keep so well, they can be found all year round.

You can eat the skin, so there's no need to peel it. Simply halve it, scoop out the seeds and chop it into chunks, then roast it and add it to a warm winter salad or throw it into curries, stews or soups. You can also roast the seeds and eat them as a snack or sprinkled over a finished dish.

In a large bowl mix the cubed squash, garlic cloves and ginger with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix. Season with salt and pepper and scatter in a single layer in a roasting tray. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until tender all the way through.

How to cook butternut squash Martha Stewart? ›

Halve butternut squash lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place cut sides up in a roasting pan (to help it sit level, slice a thin strip from skin sides). Fill each cavity with butter and pure maple syrup; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Roast until fork-tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Method. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Wash and dry the whole squash, then place on a baking tray. Pierce once or twice with the tip of a sharp knife, then bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until golden and very soft.

If you pick too early, the flesh will not be fully developed and the squash will lack flavor and not be that wonderfully vegetal sweet that is the wonder of butternut, honeynut, delicata, acorn, pumpkin and kabocha, among dozens of other winter squash.

Raw butternut squash can cause some people to develop an allergic skin reaction called “squash hands.” Wearing gloves while handling the fruit or purchasing prepared butternut squash can help you prevent this skin reaction. A 1% hydrocortisone cream can help alleviate squash hands symptoms.

It tastes like a mix between a carrot and a turnip (but nicer than that, just can't describe it any better). Really nice roasted with just olive oil. I make a butternut squash and pea risotto which is lovely. You don't need to peel it, just chop.

Can You Eat Butternut Squash Skin? It's important to note that while many people choose to remove butternut squash skin (and this is best practice for soup making, where you want smooth results), you can 100% eat roasted butternut squash skin. Slice butternut squash into crescents and roast it with the skin on.

Some squash skin is edible, while other types of squash have tough skin that can be removed before cooking. Remove the skin of butternut, hubbard, buttercup, and turban squash. If you enjoy the taste, leave the skin on acorn, spaghetti, kabocha, and zucchini squash.

I typically cut mine into 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch cubes for roasting, but the size/shape of the cut is totally up to you. Once your butternut squash is cut, you can either cook the squash immediately. Or you can refrigerate it in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze it in a sealed container for up to 3 months.