Oven-roasted butternut squash is a delicious side dish that’s fit for a Monday dinner or to serve for your next holiday gathering. It’s buttery, tender, earthy and slightly sweet.
Oven-roasted butternut squash is a very simple dish. It’s a “set it and forget it” side dish that will make itself in the oven while you make all of the other dinner components.
If you like oven dinners like me then it’s also the perfect dish to bake in the oven with the rest of dinner.
It’s a very simple dish to alter to the timing and cooking temperature of other dishes. You can easily reduce the heat and increase the time or vice versa. As long as you can easily poke a fork through it you know it’s done.
Preparing Oven-Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
Butter: Butter is churned milk or cream and is high in fat. It is solidified when refrigerated, holds a semi-soft, spreadable consistency at room temperature, or can be liquefied when heated.
Butternut squash: A type of winter squash that grows on a vine, with a bright yellowy-orange flesh that is slightly sweet and similar to pumpkin. It is rich in vitamin A, potassium and fiber making it a very healthy addition to any meal.
Garlic powder: Garlic powder is dehydrated garlic ground to a powder. It’s sweeter than raw garlic so it just adds a hint of garlic flavour without the sharpness.
Oregano: Oregano is a plant from the mint family. It’s used as s herb and has a very potent flavour. Dried oregano is the leaves of a fresh plant that has been air-dried.
Olive oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.
How to Oven-Roast Butternut Squash
Let’s start by preheating the oven to 350°F.
Prep the Squash
Next, you need to peel the butternut squash. There are several ways to do this.
How to Peel Butternut Squash
You can try a peeling knife which I personally find awkward. You can use a knife to cut off the peel or you can cut the squash into pieces first and then cut away the flesh from the skin piece by piece.
Now you need to cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. You can cut it in half length-wise, but be prepared to struggle. Or you can cut it width-wise, right at the point where it enlarges. Squash can be quite tough so the smaller the cutting surface the easier it will be.
To remove the seeds, use a soup spoon. Simply scrape the seeds and extra stringy stuff out until you’ve removed it all.
The final squash prep is to cut the butternut squash into spears or fries. I cut the pieces ¼-inch wide and about 2 inches long.
Flavour the Squash
Now it’s time to add some more flavour.
Butternut squash is quite buttery in flavour, as the name suggests
but it’s always nice to add some other flavours.Melt the butter in the microwave and pour it over the squash in a medium bowl. Add the oil, garlic powder, oregano and salt. Stir to coat the squash evenly with the herb and spices.
Bake
Next, line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out the butternut squash in one even layer.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and serve immediately.
Serving Oven-Roasted Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is a simple but delicious side dish. It can seem rich due to the added butter so I recommend you serve it with the main dish that balances it out. Try it with one of our chicken recipes, like beer can chicken, and some roasted potatoes.
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Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Oven-Roasted Butternut Squash Recipes
Equipment
- Cookie sheet or sheet pan
- Knife and cutting board
- Medium bowl
Ingredients
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter
- 0.79 kg butternut squash
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds using a large spoon.0.79 kg butternut squash
- Cut the butternut squash into spears or fries.0.79 kg butternut squash
- Melt the butter and pour it over the squash. Also add the oil, garlic powder, oregano and salt. Stir to coat the squash evenly with the herb and spices.¼ tsp salt, 2 tbsp butter, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp oregano, 2 tbsp olive oil
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread out the butternut squash in one even layer.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and serve immediately with your favourite mains.
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