Roasted Butternut Squash Whole & Halves

How to make a Roasted Butternut Squash Whole and Halves is the easiest way to make butternut squash ever, and sharing a secret to serving it!

Hello, friends! Today I’m popping in with more of a how-to tutorial about roasting butternut squash without the hassle. As mentioned below, I usually buy my squash pre-cut in cubes, either fresh or frozen.  But, there are two problems with that.  The cubes go bad in less than 48 hours, it seems like sometimes.  Frozen never cooks the way I want it to.  

I don’t have the patience to cube my own butternut squash or the time.  At the same time, cooking whole or half butternut squash is not as appealing as the golden caramelized deliciousness of cubed…. until now.  These serving tips will make you want cooking whole or half butternut squash to be your go-to!  Enjoy!

How to Roast Butternut Squash Whole 

It’s easy to roast whole butternut squash, which is one of the main pros of this method.  You turn the oven on to 400F and place the squash in there until it’s fork tender, about 45-65 minutes depending on its size. Bake until fork tender. 

After this, the prep work is really easy too! Start by cutting the tough outer stem off the squash.  What you do now depends on how you want to serve it.  If you are serving it mashed, scoop out the seeds, discard them, and scoop out the mashed flesh.  This is an excellent option if you are serving mashed butternut squash or using it in something like soup.  

But, I want to show you that you can also use this method to serve butternut squash in an appetizing and delicious way as a side dish at any dinner. What I did was slice butternut squash medallions up the stem, then cut it half, scoop out the seeds (discards) and make the rest into half-moon wedges. Then I glazed it with a melted butter brown sugar glaze! 

It is just melted butter and brown sugar mixed with a dash of cinnamon, but I LOVE how it turned out—the perfect SUPER easy side dish with minimal prep work.  I love roasted butternut squash cubes, but the prep work into getting the cubes I don’t love.  And I don’t love how fast they go bad when purchasing from the grocery store and how frozen butternut squash cubes always end up soggy.  In this method, I had perfect fork-tender butternut squash with a delicious glaze.  Albeit there is no caramelization from the pan, it’s still delicious and super easy to serve.  

It was husband and baby/toddler approved (preschooler would not touch it with a ten-foot poll despite the fact he used to eat whole boxes of butternut squash fries), so I call that a win! Below you can see the medallions with the glaze vs. mashed butternut squash result. 

How to Roast Butternut Squash Halves

Your other option is to do some prep work on the forefront. In this method, you’ll wash and dry your squash and do a little prep.  Cut off the top step and then slice down the middle lengthways.  You may need to cut off the other end to have a stable base to work with, but my squash was pretty level.  Use a REALLY sharp knife for safety and ease of cutting.  

Next, scoop out the seeds.  I used our pumpkin carving kit, which worked pretty well!

To peel or not to peel? 

You can consume the butternut squash shell, but most people prefer not to.  Truly cutting off the skin requires using a sharp knife to cut off the skin.  To me, this is by far the most annoying point of prepping a whole butternut squash.  So, I tried something new.  I used a potato peeler to peel off the outermost tough layer.  Remember that this did not remove the entire outer layer, just the most leathery tough part. And I only did it on one side to compare the two.  As you will see (photo 15 below), the result was pretty good, actually!  I would have eaten the skin on that one, even though not all of it was removed.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was a nice shortcut. I may try again!  Otherwise, plan to scoop the flesh out, or know that you will probably want to eat around the skin. 

The nice thing about cutting the butternut squash in half before baking is that you can have that little bit of glorious caramelization by baking it with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt skin side down. 

You’ll bake for a little less time than with whole butternut squash, about 35-55 minutes, depending on the size, at 400F.  

That’s it! 

Swaps and Substitutions

Butter: Swap vegan butter or coconut oil for a dairy-free option!  You can also use your favorite cooking oil, like avocado oil or olive oil.  

Seasoning:  I tend to serve butternut squash sweet, but you do not have to!  Take this process and make it savory with a blend of Italian herbs or just garlic, salt, and pepper to taste!   

How to Store & Freeze Baked Butternut Squash

To store:  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up five days, and reheat in the microwave.  

To freeze:  Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.  It is safe to freeze any form of cooked or uncooked butternut squash.  Personally, I think that if you are going to freeze cooked butternut squash, it’s best to only do so with butternut squash mash.  Other forms will lose their integrity and turn into mash when reheated.  If you choose to freeze butternut squash uncooked, do so in halves (de-seeded) or cubes (peeled and de-seeded.)  You can cook cubes from frozen, but it would be best to let the halves thaw first before cooking.  Thaw under refrigeration.  

Tag me if you make these! I love to see what you guys make! You can tag me on Insta @hungryhobbyRD and Facebook @hungryhobby!

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