Right now my days are being filled with newborn cuddles and changing diapers (and I’m also spending a lot of time smelling Prairie Baby’s head… Why is it that they smell so good?!), so I have a number of visiting contributors prepared to share their genius with you. Today’s it’s Renee from Raising Generation Nourished sharing her tips for the perfect roasted squash—>
Squash is hands down my favorite fall food.
Sure those apple pies and pumpkin drinks are pretty amazing too, but we probably shouldn’t be having pie everyday (sigh).
But squash! Squash is not only loaded with nutrients, it also tastes so good! And with so many different varieties, we can enjoy it more than just once or twice during the fall season.
I usually take advantage of the fall farmer’s markets and bring home baskets of squash to enjoy! I store roasted pumpkin soup, autumn harvest stew, and roasted butternut squash and apple soup away in my freezer for all winter long! They pack up so good in school soup thermoses!
And there is nothing like having warm roasted squash drowning in butter and sea salt as a side dish to whatever you are having for dinner. So let’s learn how to make an amazing roasted squash!
Cooking any sort of squash really intimidated me at first. I didn’t grow up eating them at all, and I am a self taught cook. So here is your encouragement! This stuff is super easy – don’t be intimidated if cooking isn’t your thing.
As the air turns cooler, and that crisp fall air settles in, don’t miss out on one of fall’s most special harvests! When you roast it the right way, the flavor shines through and it will become a family favorite. It is really the perfect little kid food, slightly sweet and easy to eat!
Perfect Roasted Squash Recipe
SELECT YOUR SQUASH AND PREP IT
Grab whatever you can find at the farmer’s market or store! You really can’t go wrong. You want it to feel solid and not mushy.
There is a method of cooking squash or pumpkins whole (without cutting it) that does work, but I prefer to cut mine open to expose the flesh to that roast a little bit – a mixture of butter and sea salt just caramelizes on the top a bit and makes the flavor even more amazing!
So, cut your squash, scoop out the seeds (let the kids do this part!), and set the halves flesh up on a baking sheet. Nothing fancy here – just a plain old cookie sheet will do!
(You can save and roast the seeds, too! Here’s how)
Spread butter over the flesh (olive or avocado oil works too – coconut oil will change the flavor so if you aren’t a fan of coconut I would recommend using something else!), and sprinkle sea salt and pepper. You can also add a special sweet twist to the middle of the squash if you want! I think honey goes well with butternut squashes, cinnamon with pumpkin, and pure maple syrup with acorn squashes – but either of those would go well with any!
Alternatively, some squashes work well to do a cube method of roasting. Grab a peeler and a butternut squash and peel the outer layer. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and the cube it up for the baking sheet. Since butternuts are so dense especially at the top, I find it cooks up faster this way! You can toss the cubes with butter and sea salt/pepper before popping them into the oven!
ROAST IT!
Roast your prepped squash at 475 degrees for about an hour. Smaller squashes will run anywhere from 45-60 minutes. Larger/thicker squashes will be more like an hour or an hour and 15 minutes.
If you are doing the cubed up squash method you can go as little as 30 minutes and they will be soft with just a little bite left to them – or as long as 45 minutes or so and caramelize the top a little bit.
SERVE IT!
My kids will literally eat squash right out of the shell – sometimes I get those smaller acorn squashes and just give them a half or a quarter of one and let them go for it!
You can scoop your squash out and serve it right to the plate, or you can puree it further in a food processor if you think a smoother texture like mashed potatoes will go over better with the family. Melt a pat of butter over the top of each serving too!
It really is just that simple!
Perfect Roasted Squash Recipe
- Category: Side Dish
Ingredients
- One fall/winter squash of your choice (acorn, spaghetti, butternut, etc)
- 1–2 tablespoons butter OR olive oil OR coconut oil
- Salt/pepper to taste (I use this salt)
- Honey, cinnamon, maple syrup, or other seasonings of choice (entirely optional)
Instructions
- Grab whatever you can find at the farmer’s market or store! You really can’t go wrong. You want it to feel solid and not mushy.
- Cut your squash, scoop out the seeds, and set the halves flesh up on a baking sheet.
- Spread butter over the flesh (olive or avocado oil works too – coconut oil will change the flavor so if you aren’t a fan of coconut I would recommend using something else!), and sprinkle sea salt and pepper. You can also add a special sweet twist to the middle of the squash if you want! I think honey goes well with butternut squashes, cinnamon with pumpkin, and pure maple syrup with acorn squashes.
- Alternatively, some squashes work well to do a cube method of roasting. Grab a peeler and a butternut squash and peel the outer layer. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and the cube it up for the baking sheet. Since butternuts are so dense especially at the top, I find it cooks up faster this way! You can toss the cubes with butter and sea salt/pepper before popping them into the oven!
- Roast your prepped squash at 475 degrees for about an hour. Smaller squashes will run anywhere from 45-60 minutes. Larger/thicker squashes will be more like an hour or an hour and 15 minutes.
- If you are doing the cubed up squash method you can go as little as 30 minutes and they will be soft with just a little bite left to them – or as long as 45 minutes or so and caramelize the top a little bit.
- You can scoop your squash out and serve it right to the plate, or you can puree it further in a food processor if you think a smoother texture like mashed potatoes will go over better with the family. Melt a pat of butter over the top of each serving too!
Other Autumn-Inspired Recipes for You:
- How to Roast Pumpkin or Squash Seeds
- Honey Caramel Corn Recipe
- Apple Puff Pancake Recipe
- Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate
Renee is a wife and mama of 3 busy bees under 6 years old. She is passionate about raising the next generation of kids with a better understanding of how food affects their bodies. She is committed to teaching others that simple, real food can make positive changes in health and can be done on a (very) tight budget, all while making the kids smile. Renee blogs at Raising Generation Nourished and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.
I just baked my first butternut squash Monday. I have baked pumpkin once and kershaw or kushaw a couple times. I cut some in cubes and put coconut oil, cinnamon, and sucanat on it. It was very good. I baked the rest plain. May try a souffle with it.
A souffle sounds yummy!
I do a number of squash at once then freeze them in muffin tins. Each of those squash “muffins” goes well in my lunch at work. Throw in a pat of butter and pumpkin pie spice, 1:45 in the microwave and you’re good to go.
Super smart idea Matt!
I love cooking and I’m good at it. I have tried multiple times to make squash, but it always has hard spots in the flesh. I’ve never baked it at 475 before. I’m going to try this ASAP. It’s one of the few (cooking) things I’ve tried my hand at and didn’t figure out right away.
AJ, I bake mine cut side down, with or without seasoning it, it keeps the moisture in and it cooks up faster without the hard spots. I use my toaster oven! The convection setting at 375 to 400, for 45min to an hour. So many recipes I see have you cook it cut side up, and I used to, but I found that cut side down keeps in the moisture and it cooks so much more evenly. If you want to broil it for a few minutes after with butter/oil/seasoning/etc you can get that beautiful browned look. Just my .02!
All I can say is YUM!
Excited to make this!
Everything is better with Green Chili here in NM! We saute squash with onion, garlic and green chili in olive oil. Add salt, pepper, cilantro, turmeric and cumin. Put in a glass baking dish, top with grated pepperjack cheese and bake until the cheese with bubbly and browning. Yum!
Sounds perfect to me!
HI There. I love your tips and tricks!
Just one thought- you may want to look into the negative effects of cooking honey. Not only do you destroy the valuable enzymes when cooking honey, but honey actually becomes toxic once cooked.
I hope this helps!
I love all Squashes! We make meals out of them by cleaning out the fridge of small leftovers or veggies that need to be used up and and then making a stuffing to put in them. Our favorite is a chicken, carrot, spiniach, herb and almond combo stuffed in an acorn and baked. Yum! Thank you for these tips, now I have some new squash recipes. Happy Fall!
amniotic fluid = what makes the heads of infants smell so good
😉
Try brown sugar instead of honey, that’s what I always use!
It’s so delicious!
I have trouble safelyholding onto and cutting into the squash prior to cooking. I have heard talk of a method of putting it in the microwave for a few (?) seconds (with a hole in it?) to make it easier to cut through.
Do you know how to do this?
There is a variety of butternut squash called Honey Nut. They are small, perfect for one, two or three servings And easy to cut in half because they are so much smaller that regular butternuts. OH, and they are just as delicious!
Ok. I’ve just spent the whole day reading your blog and I’ve learnt so much. BUT. I’ve been making pumpkin and squash soup for years and I always put it off because I hate cutting them up into chunks. It has literally never occurred to me to cut it once, in half, and roast it and then scoop it out. I feel so so so dim. Thank you!!!!
Hi,
Can you tell me the best way to roast a half medium size butter nut in a convection oven? I noticed an answer already but it’s very vague.
Thanks, Leigh
Try at 375 degrees F in a convection oven and see how that turns out. Good luck!