How to roast Butternut Squash 3 ways.
I share tips and a video on how to roast whole butternut squash, squash halves, and cubes.
Add this winter squash to your menu this fall.
Celebrate healthier holidays with your family and friends or use your squash to prepare my butternut squash apple soup.
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🔪 How to prepare it?
You have 3 options to prepare and roast your butternut.
You can choose to roast your winter squash as a whole, as halves or in cubes.
Decide which way you want to go and according to that, you will have to prepare your squash.
Whole butternut squash doesn't need any prepping at all, because it will be roasted as a whole.
For squash halves, cut through lengthwise and take out the seeds.
The cubes are prepared by cutting the squash into a manageable size, by peeling the skin off with a peeler and by taking out the seeds.
The squash chunks are then cut into same-sized cubes.
🔥 How to roast it?
Now that you know that you have 3 ways to prepare your butternut squash, we will get to the roasting for each of them.
Roasting a whole
Whole butternut squash is the easiest and most effortless solution to oven roasted squash.
The best way to roast a whole squash is to use a smaller one.
The larger the squash, the longer it will take to cook through.
And oh boy, they do take time to cook completely through when they are whole!
So, while you might save time prepping your whole squash, you will take all the longer to roast it.
Step 1
Rinse your squash to get rid of impurities and pat dry.
Poke into your squash a couple of times to create a way for the heat to get to the center of your butternut.
Step 2
Roast in the oven till done.
Check if it's done by poking in it. Cooked butternut squash is soft.
If it's still hard and raw in some places. Take it back into the oven and repeat the test after a while.
Step 3
Cut your cooked butternut into two lengthwise and take out the seeds.
Spoon out the squash flesh to serve up or to use further in another recipe.
Roasting halves
Butternut squash are the most common way to prepare baked squash.
It's almost effortless to prepare butternut halves and the cooking time isn't that long either compared to whole butternut squash.
Tip: Poke into the squash center with a fork so that it cooks better (sorry forgot to show this in the video and pictures)
Step 1
Pour some olive oil and sprinkle some salt over the squash.
Step 2
Roast your squash halves until cooked through.
If some places are not cooked yet, take the butternut halves back to the heat in the oven to roast until done.
Roasting cubes
My favorite way to roast butternut squash is by turning the vegetable into cubes.
It's some more effort to peel and cut into cubes but the roasting time will be reduced as well.
Step 1
First, cut your squash into manageable pieces so that you can peel it easier.
Peel and take out the seed core with a spoon.
Step 2
Cut the squash into 1-inch same sized cubes.
Place the butternut cubes into a large mixing bowl and add in olive oil and salt.
Mix so that the cubes are well coated.
Step 3
Spread the squash pieces over the parchment paper and baking pan.
Roast in the oven until you are left with crispy roasted butternut squash.
🧂 Seasoning
I like to season with salt to bring out the sweet natural juices out in my butternut squash.
Yet, you are free to season your squash side dish the way you like.
Here are some ideas:
- cinnamon
- pumpkin pie spice
- red chili pepper flakes
- maple syrup
- brown sugar (as in carrot brown sugar)
🥣 Serving
You can serve your oven-roasted butternut squash with meats and vegetables.
Meat with the roasted squash
I think the best way to serve up a butternut squash is with a pork loin roast.
Chicken, turkey, and duck are a great way to enjoy butternut squash as well.
The other day I learned to love roasted butternut squash halves with a salmon fillet.
Vegetables to serve along
You can serve up oven-roasted squash with other vegetables for Thanksgiving or on Christmas day.
I love roasted carrots, brussels sprouts, cooked parsley potatoes or classic mashed potatoes (or any other mash for that matter), roasted sweet potatoes and braised red cabbage are great too.
You can use your roasted squash further to create wonderful dishes.
Here some roasted butternut squash recipes.
- Autumn Salad with Butternut Squash by therisingspoon.com
- Roasted Squash Risotto by kyleecooks.com
- Butternut Toffee Meltaway Fudge by spabettie.com
💭 FAQs
The roasting time depends on the size of your squash. A whole small squash takes more than 1 hour to cook through. Squash halves take around 40 minutes and cubes about 20-25 minutes
Roast your squash at 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius) or 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius). The higher temperature setting will cook the butternut squash faster.
Take your frozen butternut squash and keep it to thaw in the fridge overnight or a few hours before you intend to roast.
The skin is normally not that soft, so usually, we don't eat it. But technically, butternut squash skin is edible. The skin of a young squash might be tender and delicious.
Fresh butternut squash roasted is, no doubt, healthy. You are better of eating a roasted squash then commercially canned vegetables because you know how your squash was prepared and cooked.
📖 Recipe
How to roast Butternut Squash
Ingredients
Whole Butternut Squash
- 1 Butternut Squash small
Butternut Squash Halves
- 1 Butternut Squash small to medium
- ⅛ Cup Olive Oil
- ~1 Teaspoon Salt
- Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground
Butternut Squash Cubes
- 1 Butternut Squash small medium or large
- ⅛ Cup Olive Oil
- ~1 Teaspoon Salt
- Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit/ 200° Celsius.
- Keep a parchment paper and pan ready.
For the whole butternut squash
- Wash and pat dry squash.
- Poke into your squash a couple of times in various places around the squash. That way your squash can cook easier to the core of the vegetable.
- Roast your butternut squash at 400° Fahrenheit/ 200° Celsius, until cooked through. *see in notes for the duration (depending on size)
For butternut squash halves
- Sprinkle some olive oil and salt over your squash.
- Roast in the oven at 400° Fahrenheit/ 200° Celsius, until cooked through. *see notes
For butternut squash cubes
- Cut your butternut squash into manageable chunks.
- Peel and take out the seeds. The seeds can be used to plant more butternut squash or you can roast them too like pumpkin seeds.
- Cut your squash into cubes. Make sure they are almost same size so that they roast equally well.
- Place your chunks into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour olive oil and sprinkle salt over the butternut squash cubes and mix.
- Spread your cubes evenly over the baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven at 400° Fahrenheit/ 200° Celsius, until cooked through. *see notes
Notes
- small whole squash: +1 hour roasting time
- small to medium sized squash halves: +40 mins
- 1 inch sized cubes: 20-25 mins
