Whole Roasted Butternut Squash in the Oven

Butternut squash has so many positives! Not only tastes good, it is quick to make in the oven and eating it is like taking a handful of vitamins with your meal. In this post I’ll share with you how we grew our own vine-y plant of butternut squash, its health benefits, and how you can quickly make a whole roasted butternut squash in the oven 1 hour flat.

How to grow Butternut Squash

Growing butternut squash from seed is very easy to do. Last year we grew the Waltham Butternut and Orange Butternut Notice varieties from Baker Creek.

We started the seeds in our indoor greenhouse cabinet about 1 month before our last frost date. The plants grew to a good size indoors. Thereafter we hardened them off for 2 weeks, carrying them in and out of the house each day for longer intervals as they acclimatized to the outdoors. When they were ready, we transplanted them into the garden nearby our trellis, which allowed them to vine and produce vegetables vertically.

Once the squash is fully mature, the outside skin will harden. You can test this by poking your nail slightly into the skin. It should feel hard. Then you know it has cured and is ready for picking. Our butternut squash has been in the bookshelf pantry for nearly 4 months and is still looking as good as when we first picked it. These are wonderful to keep as food over winter.

One tip I can give you is to make sure that the roots don’t become root bound. You should transplant the seedlings to larger pots if you see that their roots are seeking more room. Once the roots peer out the bottom of the pot, this is usually a good sign that a larger pot would do better.

How to Cook a Whole Roasted Butternut Squash in the Oven

Cooking butternut squash in the oven is a very simple.

Nothing fancy happens with the butternut squash. Simply chop it in half, scoop out the seeds, place it face down in a sheet pan and bake in the oven for 1 hour.

The oven crystallizes the sugar in the butternut squash so that it tastes sweet. That is why we don’t feel it necessary to add any extra sugar or maple syrup, although you are more than welcome to try it.

My Favourite Kitchen Appliances

What You May Need for This Recipe

Oven sheet/pan

Sharp knife

Spoon

Directions

Cut the butternut squash in half.

With a spoon, scoop out the seeds.

Add the halves to a baking sheet, turning them face down so that the skin of the butternut squash faces upwards

Cook for 1 hour or until a fork can easily be inserted

Recipe

This recipe may be very basic, but this is all you need to make a tasty butternut squash. That is – if you are cooking a real deal butternut squash.

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Other Dinner Ideas

Food is something we engage with every day to give our bodies the fuel to work each day. That’s why I’m always on the hunt for new dinner ideas. Maybe these can be inspiring to you as main courses or side dishes.

Occasionally, we enjoy the delicacy of a Lamb Chop Oven Dinner, cooked in the oven because its gloomy outside or our bbq is out of commission (as it currently is). Lamb pairs well with Creamy Mushroom Risotto, which is one of our favourite ways to use up some leftover stock that we’ve recently made. Stock made from beef bones and chicken or turkey carcass is also very healthy for you. Check out our latest Turkey Carcass Soup recipe.

Here are just a few other ideas to keep you hungry:

• Pot Roast
• Lasagna (takes a little longer but can be quick if you have pre-made mince)
• Beef Heart & Liver Stew
• Sheet Pan Chicken Pot Pie
• One Pan Fried Zucchini, Sausage and Relish
• Oven roasted Tomato Soup
• Cottage pie
• Boboti (South African Mince Curry) with Yellow Rice
• Cantonese Mince
• Roasted Whole Chicken in the Oven

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