Roast Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is a winter variety squash. It's yellow-orange in color and has a smooth surface and an elongated shape. It has a sweet, nutty flavor. When roasted, its sweetness is intensified. Follow this guide on how to perfectly roast butternut squash in a variety of ways.

Ingredients

Roasted butternut squash cubes

• 1 medium to large butternut squash
• Olive oil
• Seasoning of choice
• Sea salt flakes

Roasted butternut squash halves

• 1 large butternut squash
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh thyme sprigs

Maple syrup roasted butternut squash

• 1 medium to large butternut squash
• 4 garlic cloves, not peeled
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Olive oil to drizzle

Steps

Roasted butternut squash cubes

1. Preheat the oven to 230ºC/450ºF.
2. Clean the outside of the butternut squash. Wipe down and scrape off any dirt that needs removing. You'll be roasting with the peel on, so it needs to be clean.
3. Cut the butternut squash in halves. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
4. Prepare the butternut squash cubes. Cut each half into cubes (or near enough shapes) about 2cm/1 inch in thickness.
5. Brush the wedges with olive oil. Place in the roasting dish, skin side facing down. Sprinkle the cubes with a seasoning of choice (dried herbs, paprika, spicy mix, etc.).
6. Place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Turn the pieces over, then return to the oven.
8. Bake for a further 15 minutes, or until tender. Tenderness can be tested by sticking the point of a knife or a fork into the pieces; if it gives easily, the cubes are ready to serve.
9. Serve. Serve with a plate of other vegetables and meat, fish or a nut roast.

Roasted butternut squash halves

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
2. Clean the outside of the butternut squash. Wipe down and scrape off any dirt that needs removing. You'll be roasting with the peel on, so it needs to be clean.
3. Cut the butternut squash in halves. Scoop out the seeds and discard. You'll see a neat little hole emerge in each half once the seeds and seed webbing have been scraped out.
4. Place each half into the roasting dish, skin facing down.
5. Drizzle with olive oil. Add dabs of butter evenly across each half.
6. Season, to taste. Sprinkle salt and freshly black pepper across each half. Toss the thyme sprigs here and there on the halves.
7. Place in the oven. Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until the squash feels tender to the knife point or a fork. At least some parts of the squash should appear golden brown in coloring.
8. Serve. Carve the halves as wished. This dish looks nice if left whole when taken to the table, with a knife provided to encourage diners to carve off their own pieces.

Maple syrup roasted butternut squash

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF.
2. Clean the outside of the butternut squash. Wipe down and scrape off any dirt that needs removing. You'll be roasting with the peel on, so it needs to be clean.
3. Cut the butternut squash in halves. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
4. Cut the butternut squash into wedges. Don't make them too thick.
5. Place the wedges into the roasting dish. Keep the skin facing down.
6. Drizzle the squash pieces with olive oil. Then pour the maple syrup over the wedges, making sure to cover all of them.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the cumin powder over. Finally, add the unpeeled garlic cloves here and there.
8. Place in the oven. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the squash feels tender to the knife point or a fork.
9. Serve hot. Serve with the roasted garlic cloves and drizzle any of the oily sauce that is in the pan over the wedges.

Tips

• If preferred, you can peel the skin off for the cubes or wedges versions.
• With the halves version, it may help to shave or slice off a little of the rounded sides so that the halves sit flat on the roasting dish.
• Some chefs recommend pricking the flesh of the squash to allow more fat to enter the flesh while roasting.
• Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top of the cubes or halves in the last 10 minutes of cooking adds a nice cheesy flavor to the dish.
• Using a little brown sugar sprinkled over the roasted squash pieces will increase the sweetness.

Warnings

• Only handle hot roasting pans with oven mitts. Remove hot foods using tongs, slotted spoons or other long-handled implements, to prevent burns.

Things You'll Need

• Roasting dish
• Cutting board and knife
• Drizzle nozzle for oil (optional but helpful)
• Oven mitts

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Sources and Citations

• Cubes adapted from John Newton, Food: The Essential A-Z Guide, p. 392, (2001), ISBN 1-74045-031-0
• Halves adapted from BBC Food, http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roastedbutternutsqua_89911

See also

• Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
• Prepare a Butternut Squash for Cooking
• Cook Butternut Squash
• Cook Spaghetti Squash
• Cook Zucchini
• Cook Patty Pan Squash
• Cook Squash
• Bake Spaghetti Squash
• Bake a Winter Squash
• Bake Acorn Squash

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