Whoa – hello fall! Here in Ohio the weather has turned cold and the leaves are changing – fall has definitely arrived! Actually the weather is pretty fabulous – I love when the leaves change and the night air is super crisp…so fabulous. It just lends itself to warm, cozy, satisfying dinners. And guess what…I’m happy to oblige.
Here’s a simple recipe and delicious for roast butternut squash. The main portion of the recipe that I want to share is how to peel the skin off of a butternut squash without losing a finger or breaking your arm.
Background: my friend Missy and I went to a cooking class at Whole Foods. The class was ok – it turned out to be a beginners level class which was a little boring for both of us – but I did take away something pretty useful – how to slice and peel a butternut squash.
There are tons of ways to peel a butternut squash – but to peel the skin off to roast the pieces is a little tricky. I’ve used a potato peeler in the past…and that works…but it’s hard and I’m always afraid of my hand slipping and losing a finger.
So…here’s what you’ll need: 1 large knife and 1 smaller paring knife. Both sharp.
Start by cutting the very top and very bottom of the butternut squash off. Then lengthwise cutting the squash in half. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds.
Using the large knife again, cut the squash into 5 or so pieces horizontally. It should look like this:
Then – switch to a smaller knife – and place the squash so it’s flat on the cutting board – and slice the skin off the squash piece by piece. It will make a shape like this:
Now – I should note – this isn’t a super quick process. But it is less painful then you imagine if you want to peel and roast the squash.
Ok – after you’ve peeled the squash – take the half-moon shaped wedges and cut into equally sized 1/2” cubes.
Now – here’s what you’ll need for the rest of the recipe: nutmeg, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, and honey.
After you’ve peeled and diced the squash, toss the squash into a large bowl and mix with the nutmeg, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and the honey. Mix well – then place onto a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
Place into a preheated 400 degree oven – bake for 40 minutes, turning the pieces half way through to make sure all of the pieces are cooking evenly.
You’ll know the squash is finished when you put a fork into the pieces and the fork goes through completely and with ease. Now all you have to do is eat!
Note: if you are not a big fan of nutmeg – you can replace with cinnamon to create a really delicious spiced butternut squash dish. I’ve also seen people use fresh thyme in a similar recipe…so this is another recipe you can easily adjust.
I hope you enjoy – and find the cutting tips as useful as I did. If you have any questions or suggestions let me know!
I served this with roasted lemon pepper salmon and roasted asparagus – a great fall night meal. The butternut squash recipe is really delicious, savory, moist, and delicious. Such a great side! Enjoy.
Roasted Butternut Squash
Serves 4
Click here for recipe.
Ingredients:
2.5 lbs. butternut squash (about 2 small to medium sized squashes)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1.5 t. salt
1 t. pepper
¼ t. nutmeg
¼ t. garlic powder
2 t. honey
Directions:
- You’ll need 1 large knife and 1 smaller paring knife. Both sharp. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Start by cutting the top and bottom off of the squash – then lengthwise cutting the squash in half.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds.
- Using the large knife again, cut the squash into 5 or so pieces horizontally. It should look like this:
- Then – switch to a smaller knife – and place the squash so it’s flat on the cutting board – and slice the skin off the squash piece by piece. It will make a shape like this:
- After you’ve peeled the squash – take the half-moon shaped wedges and cut into equally sized 1/2” cubes.
- After you’ve peeled and diced the squash, toss the squash into a large bowl and mix with the nutmeg, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and the honey. Mix well – then place onto a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
- Place into a preheated 400 degree oven – bake for 40 minutes, turning the pieces half way through to make sure all of the pieces are cooking evenly.
- You’ll know the squash is finished when you put a fork into the pieces and the fork goes through completely and with ease. Now all you have to do is eat!
Note: if you are not a big fan of nutmeg – you can replace with cinnamon to create a really delicious spiced butternut squash dish. I’ve also seen people use fresh thyme in a similar recipe…so this is another recipe you can easily adjust.
