It's always a good idea to whip up some roasted butternut squash cubes. They're velvety and sweet, yet savory. Keep it simple and season with salt and pepper, or get fancy with seasonal herbs like thyme and rosemary.
It's the perfect complement to your fall meals.
Add some to a salad, or serve solo as a side dish. Blend some up to make a delish nacho cheese sauce, or alfredo for pasta. Feeling cozy? Whip up some butternut squash bisque. Or healthy? Try butternut squash hummus or a fall salad. The possibilities are endless!
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Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- Cooking oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed oil
- Salt and pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
First, prepare the butternut squash. Cut off both ends, then separate top half from bottom, and peel.
Now, remove the seeds. Cut the fat part in half, and remove seeds.
Then, cut into planks...
Then rods, then cubes.
Toss with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place onto sheet tray, and roast at 425 F for 45-60 mins, flipping halfway.
Finally, the squash is done when it starts to lightly brown.
Hint: when you flip the squash, let it sit on the counter for a few mins to let the steam escape. This will help your squash brown a little faster.
Substitutions & Variations
These roasted butternut squash cubes are vegan, gluten free, and dairy free.
You can roast squash without oil - make sure you line your sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up, and watch closely so it doesn't burn.
Trying to get the kids to eat butternut squash? Try this butternut squash mac and cheese. They'll never know it's there!
Butternut squash tastes wonderful with fall herbs and spices:
- Thyme and rosemary - add ½ tsp of dried rosemary or thyme for a more aromatic squash
- Chili powder - add ½ tsp of chili powder for a extra heat
- Sage - add ½ tsp ground sage for extra savoriness
See this butternut squash bisque recipe that combines roasted butternut squash cubes with thyme, rosemary and apple flavors.
Equipment
To make this roasted butternut squash recipe, you'll need a few key pieces of equipment:
- Vegetable peeler for peeling squash
- Sheet tray for roasting squash
- Chef's knife for chopping butternut squash. It's important that your knife is VERY sharp. Thick squashes like butternut squash and pumpkin are notoriously difficult to chop.
- Prep bowl for tossing with seasoning
- Spoon for scooping out seeds (in a pinch, use your hands)
- Optional: silicon mat or parchment paper for easy clean up
Storage
Store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. If blending into a sauce, blend while hot.
Frequently asked questions
First, remove the ends. Then, separate the fat part from the skinny part. Cut the fat part in half and remove the seeds. Then stand up the halves and slice into planks. Place the skinny half on a flat edge and slice into planks. The slice into rods, then cubes. See pictures above.
Butternut squash has inherent sweet and savory flavors, so it's important to decide which you want to enhance:
Savory: thyme, rosemary, sage, onion, garlic, potatoes
Sweet: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, brown sugar, sweet potato
Other produce: apples, parsnips, carrots, spinach, kale
Add spices to butternut squash before roasting. Roast squash with other fresh produce to combine all the flavors.
While the skin of butternut squash is safe to eat, these butternut squash cubes are more versatile (and tastier) without the skin. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, then remove seeds and cube. The starches in cubes will caramelize without the skin, creating a deeper, richer flavor. These cubes are also better for blending into sauces and soups without the skin.
Top tip
Let the steam escape from the squash when you flip them so the squash browns faster. As an added bonus, your roasted butternut squash will be sweeter.
Roasted butternut squash
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 70 mins
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
It's always a good idea to whip up some roasted butternut squash cubes. They're velvety and sweet, yet savory. Keep it simple and season with salt and pepper, or get fancy with seasonal herbs like thyme and rosemary.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- 1-2 Tbsp Cooking oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Peel squash: remove top and bottom of squash. Then cut in half, separating the bottom from the top. Peel both halves with vegetable peeler.
3. Chop squash: set skinny squash half on its end, and slice into planks, then rods, then cubes. Cut the fat half in half, and remove seeds. Then slice into planks, then rods, then cubes.
4. Toss: toss cubes with cooking oil, salt and pepper to evenly coat, then place onto cooking sheet.
5. Roast: roast at 350 F for 45-60 mins*, flipping halfway through. Let the steam escape before returning to oven. Squash is done with it starts to lightly brown. Squash will be soft like a potato when done.
Notes
*The more squash you're roasting, the longer it will take. My 5 lb squash took closer to 75-90 mins, but a smaller squash will be closer to 45-60 mins.
Keywords: roasted butternut squash, vegan butternut squash, how to make roasted butternut squash
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Food safety
Don't forget, safety first!
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods - before you peel and chop your squash, it's fine at room temp.
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
The Hangry Chickpea
This is a baseline dish everyone should know how to make well, and this breaks it down from the first cut to the last bite.
★★★★★