The day has come to cook the butternut squash from our trip to Lombardi Ranch. Butternut is one of my favorite squash, but I must admit, I see it sitting there and imagine how much time it will take to prepare it. I exaggerate the amount of time it will take in my mind and so there it sits. And, it really is an exaggeration…it really isn’t as time-consuming as one might think or even as I make it out to be.
First, cut off the very bottom to make a stable surface
Next, use a paring knife or a vegetable peeler to peel the half above the curve.
Next, peel the curved area and then turn the squash on its side to peel the bottom portion. I found that the paring knife worked best above the curve and the peeler on and below the curve. I also found it worked well to leave the stem attached on top to use as a handle throughout the process.
Remove the top and cut your squash in half
Then, remove the seeds with a spoon and lay squash inside down on the cutting board.
Begin slicing in strips and then cut those strips in cubes. It is best to keep the cubes near the same thickness where possible. This will keep the roasting times consistent.
Put the cubes onto the cookie sheet. I use a special sheet for all veggie roasting projects. Special means…very beat up. I save the clean, pretty looking cookie sheets for actual cookies. 🙂
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. You will want to wait to salt the squash when it is done roasting so it doesn’t release its juices and steam.
Roast for 1 ½ hours in a 400 degree oven. Check after 1 hour to see how it is progressing. When it is done, it should be fork tender and look like this:
Now is the time to salt your squash. You can either serve it just like this or make it into a delicious soup. I am still deciding which I want to do. 🙂
Seriously, though, this process didn’t take much actual prep time. It took, maybe, 10 minutes to peel and cube that squash. When in the oven, it just does its own thing. By the way my home smells, I know that squash will be worth 10 minutes of my time. Can’t wait to taste it!
I LOVE BUTTERNUT SQUASH! I roasted one recently, without peeling it first, and it made the insides really easy to scoop out. I must admit that I put some cinnamon on mine, and it was ah-mazing!!!
I LOVE BUTTERNUT SQUASH!!! I roasted one recently whole without chopping it up first …. and it made it so easy to cut up afterwards! I must admit that I enjoyed a bit o’ cinnamon on mine … 🙂
Yum!!! That is a great way to cook it! I may just have to do that next time :).
YAY!!!!! I meant to call/text you today to ask what I do with this butternut squash I bought at TJs!! We got it because it looked pretty & i thought I would throw it in a crock pot stew like a yellow squash but when we cut it were were so surprised it was like a pumpkin. Thank you Lord for answers, even thru a blog. lol
Leah, that is so great!!! Perfect timing!! :). Hope you enjoy!!
Although the smokey flavor of roasted butternut (the way you made it) is awesome, for those days when you just don’t have the prep time to peel it another way to cook it is to halve the squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, put it in a big dish (like an 10×13 pyrex) with an inch of water in the bottom and cook until done (about 2 hrs+ at 350F). The flesh scoops out super easy, but it’s really only suitable to mash with some butter and seasonings. That’s what I would usually do back when Andrew was only eating purees.
Thank you Susan! I totally agree…it is good that way too…and super easy :). Yum!!! Fall veggies are such a treat! Thank you for sharing!!
One of my fav’s too! WE made soup with our butternut squash last night – My kids love the seeds – I roast them just like pumpkin seeds to put on top of the soup. Loving your blog….
Jen, I was totally thinking about roasting the seeds and wasn’t sure if it would work like pumpkin seeds so I decided to save it until next time! Thank you for the tip! I will do that next time! Thanks so much!
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