No peeling, no dicing, no faff and just three ingredients are needed to make soft, charred, roasted butternut squash that you can use in so many recipes. If you’re unsure about how to roast butternut squash this is the easiest, foolproof technique you’ll find.
I don’t know about you, but peeling, chopping and prepping butternut squash (or pumpkin) is one of my least favourite kitchen tasks. It’s really tricky, awkward and honestly, I will basically do anything not to have to do it. But I love the flavour of roasted squash, and it’s a wonderful, versatile ingredient to use around the holiday season.
If you’re anything like me, this technique for roasting squash is going to be a bit of a lifeline. Just slice the squash down the middle, then pop into the oven to get all charred and gorgeous. All you need is butternut squash, olive oil and salt.
How to roast squash, the easy way
All you have to do is slice the squash right down the middle – I like to slice the top with the stem off to make this easier – then scoop out the seeds.
Drizzle the exposed sides with olive oil and salt, then place them, exposed sides down, in a lined oven tray and roast for 45 – 50 minutes at 210C/400F fan until super soft and you can easily pierce it with a knife. It should be buttery soft, smooth and easily scoopable with a spoon.
What if I want to dice the squash?
You can absolutely dice the squash if you like, or if you need diced for your recipe.
- Slice the squash in half and scoop out the seeds, just like the original recipe. I don’t peel the squash as I like the texture the skin brings (it’s not super tough), but you can peel it if you like.
- Cut the squash into cubes of roughly the same size, then toss with olive oil, salt and any other seasoning you’d like to add.
- Arrange on a lined oven tray in a single layer, then roast at 200C/390F fan for 40 minutes, giving them a stir halfway through.
You want them to look a little charred around the edges and easily pierced with a fork. I use this method in my roasted butternut squash, feta and pomegranate salad (one of my favourites for the holiday season!)
How to use the squash
- Make creamy butternut squash soup.
- Use it in this easy one-pot butternut squash mac and cheese.
- Spoon straight onto toast, with a little marinated feta and dukkah.
- Add a dollop of squash to these cranberry, brie and prosciutto filo bites.
- Blitz it with feta to make a gorgeous whipped squash dip.
- Dollop onto pizza for a fall twist on your favourite slice.
- Or, just scoop out the flesh and store it to use in any recipe that pumpkin puree is called for.
Got a question?
The roasted squash will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Yes! Depending on the size, you might want to cut the pumpkin into quarters to roast, but this method will still work perfectly well.
You can play around and add different seasonings, depending on what you’ll use the squash for. Ground cumin, coriander and paprika are lovely with the squash, or, give it a sweet twist with a sprinkle of brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
Like this? Here are some more tips and tricks for you
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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The Easy Way to Roast Butternut Squash
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
No peeling, no dicing, no faff and just three ingredients are needed to make soft, charred, roasted butternut squash that you can use in so many recipes.
If you’re anything like me, this technique for roasting squash is going to be a bit of a lifeline. Just slice the squash down the middle, then pop into the oven to get all charred and gorgeous.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Halve the squash. Heat your oven to 210C/400F fan and line an oven tray with baking paper. Slice the top of the squash off (the part with the end of the stem – this will make it easier to cut in half). Use a large knife to carefully cut the squash in half, lengthways, so you’re left with two large pieces. I find the easiest way to do this is the stand the squash up, and cut from the top down. Scoop the seeds out, and set them aside.
- Rub with olive oil. Drizzle the exposed sides of the squash with the olive oil and the salt, then place them, exploded sides down, on your prepared tray.
- Roast the squash. Transfer to the oven, and roast for 45 minutes, or until the flesh of the squash can be easily pierced with a knife through the skin. Remove from the oven.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Store the roasted squash in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it for 3 to 4 months.
WANT CUBED SQUASH? Halve the squash as in the recipe, then cut the squash into roughly equal cubes. I don’t tend to peel squash even when cooking it in this way – the skin isn’t thick and tough and I like the texture – but you can peel it if you like. Toss with olive oil and salt, then arrange on a single layer on a lined tray and roast for 40 minutes at 200C/400F, stirring halfway, until a little charred around the edges and they can be easily pierced with a fork.
HOW TO USE IT: You can really use it in any recipe that calls for pumpkin puree, but some of my favourite ways are this butternut squash soup, butternut squash mac and cheese, smear it onto toast or blitz it up with feta to make a gorgeous dip. If you choose to dice the squash, you can make this wonderful roasted squash, feta and pomegranate salad.
HOW TO USE THE SEEDS: The squash seeds are perfectly edible so don’t waste them. Soak them in water and remove as much of the flesh as you can, then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Toss with olive oil and any seasoning you like, then roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until crispy. They’re great as a crunchy topper for soups, salads or pasta, or as a little snack.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: basics
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 142
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 1171mg
- Fat: 7.2g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 21.5g
- Fiber: 6.6g
- Protein: 1.8g
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: roast pumpkin
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