Roasted Butternut Squash
This roasted squash is full of sweet, nutty and earthy flavours. It is a perfect side dish and quick to make even for a weeknight meal!
Butternut squash is perfect for roasting. It has a sweet nutty flavour that seems to be enhanced after it has been roasted in the oven. If you have ever wondered how to roast butternut squash, then fear not – it is super easy and tastes amazing!
A Simple Weeknight Side!
It’s not uncommon to be short on time to prepare a weeknight dinner and opting for a can or bag of frozen veggies seems like the quick and easy choice. This roasted butternut squash does not take much effort and is ideal for a meal during the week. The butternut squash could even be peeled and prepped the night before making life easier prior to dinner.
This Is Guest Worthy
I have served roasted butternut squash to guests for a dinner party and it always gets rave reviews! Be prepared to potentially double the recipe as it gets gobbled up fast! This is also a great side dish for your next Thanksgiving dinner.
What Is A Butternut Squash?
Butternut squash is a winter squash that is amazing to cook with and has lots of pulp in each squash. This has a nutty and sweet texture and is so good in many different recipes.
Incredible in soup, salads and many more dishes, butternut squash is great boiled, roasted, baked and more.
Expert Tip: While butternut squash is my favourite to cook with, there are many others including acorn squash, spaghetti squash, butterkin squash, buttercup and more. Many can be found at your local supermarket many months of the year.
How To Clean A Butternut Squash
The butternut squash has two parts – the long neck that is full of solid pulp and the round bottom end that has the hollow portion with seeds.
I start by cutting and separating the neck with the round bottom portion. If the neck section is particularly long, then I also cut it in half.
Use a knife to carve the outer skin away from the squash. Cut the round section in half and use a spoon to scoop away the seeds and stringy insides.
Cut The Squash Into Cubes
For roasted butternut squash, I like to have the pulp cut into 1 inch cubes. Try to ensure that they are consistent in shape and size so that they all cook evenly in the oven. Obviously, the squash is rounded so try your best to keep the cut cubes similar in size and dimension. But, even if there are some a little larger or smaller, they should still all roast just fine.
Expert Tip: While this method of roasting squash is prepared with it cut into cubes, there are other ways to cook butternut squash in the oven. I have often cooked squash halves and it works great and perfect for soups, puree, filling for pasta and more. Simply cut the squash in half and clean out the seeds and stringy insides. Place in a baking dish and add about 1/2 cup water to the dish. Bake in a 350F oven for 60-90 minutes or until the squash is cooked through and soft.
Butternut squash can really vary in size, but one squash should be able to produce a lot of pulp for roasting. Once cut into cubes, I placed them into a large glass bowl.
Roasted butternut squash cubes need to be coated in a little bit of oil. This helps to brown and caramelise the outside of the squash really adding to the flavour.
Spread On A Baking Sheet
The cut chunks of squash need to be spread on a baking sheet. While you can use a non stick baking sheet and place the squash directly on it, I prefer to line the sheet with parchment paper.
Using parchment paper does not impact how the roasted butternut squash cook, but it does drastically simplify cleaning. Once the squash is finished cooking in the oven and removed from the baking sheet, the parchment paper can be tossed in the garbage and clean up of the baking sheet is usually a simple wash and rinse.
How Long To Roast Butternut Squash
Place the baking sheet with squash in a 400F oven. Roast for 30-40 minutes. The butternut squash should be cooked through and soft, while the sides and edges will be browned and crisped.
Expert Tip: The cooking time will vary depending on size of the squash chunks. Watch them while they are in the oven and check on their doneness once they start browning on the edges.
After the roasted butternut squash is finished cooking, take them out of the oven and season the squash with salt. They can be served immediately.
Expert Tip: The seasoning for the squash in this recipe is just salt to highlight the sweet flavour of the butternut squash. There are many other spices or seasoning blends from Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend, Moroccan Seasoning, Sweet and Smokey Chipotle Rub and more!
Other Recipes Using Butternut Squash
Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Peel and core the butternut squash.
- Cut the squash into small equal sized cubes about 1 inch in size.
- Toss the cubes of squash in oil and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is soft and starting to brown on the top and sides.
- Remove from the oven and season with salt.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Per serving:
