Butternut squash adds a vibrant color, interesting texture, and a delicious stand-out flavor to any dish. Whether serving it as a simple side or making it the highlight of dinner, we love cooking this nutritious veggie (especially because it's available year-round). Most recipes say to either bake or roast butternut squash—but what's the difference? While both cooking methods will turn the tough, raw gourd into a soft, sweet ingredient, roasting butternut squash is the more common process for achieving browned, crispy edges and a creamy interior.
Baked Butternut Squash v. Roasted Butternut Squash
Baking and roasting are two common, but different methods of cooking food in an oven. Baking is done at a lower heat for a longer period of time, typically between 325°F and 375°F. This method evenly cooks food throughout and is typically used for cakes, cookies, and bread. Baking butternut squash is the best method when you want to evenly cook two whole halves as they will become soft on the inside without burning on the outside.
To bake butternut squash, coat two cored butternut squash halves in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay them on a baking sheet and cook at 350°F for 60-75 minutes, until the flesh is tender and can be pierced with a toothpick. If you're prepping dinner in advance and have time on your hands, baking butternut squash is an effective choice. Baking butternut squash should be done if you want to then turn the soft flesh into a puree or butternut squash soup; the texture will be smooth, sans stringy brown bits, and the nutty, sweet flavor will be particularly pronounced.
Butternut squash that is charred and crisp on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside is best achieved by roasting it quickly. Roasting means cooking an ingredient at a higher heat, usually between 425°F-450°F, for a shorter period of time.
This is the best method for caramelizing meat or veggies that have a crispy, caramelized exterior, tender interior, and noticeable nutty notes. Small dices of roasted butternut squash are perfect in a dish like tortellini with butternut squash, mushrooms, and fontina.
How to Prepare Butternut Squash
Butternut squash should be peeled before cooking as the skin is tough and lacks flavor. Grocery stores do sell peeled and pre-cut butternut squash, which saves you time. However, it's cheaper and more eco-friendly to do all the prep work yourself.
Since butternut squash is one of the toughest vegetables to cut through, it's very important to use the sharpest chef's knife you own. Once you've got a sharp knife, cut the butternut squash. Scoop out the seeds from the core, then slice, dice, or roast whole for a nutty and sweet side dish.
Butternut Squash Recipes
Baked butternut squash shines in this baked barley risotto, which softens the squash and onions before they get cooked fully in a Dutch oven. For the best of both worlds, try twice-baked butternut squash, which involves completely baking two squash halves before creating a mixture of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and three kinds of cheese, then broiling for a caramelized crust. Roasted butternut squash puree and roasted pork chops and butternut squash are two classic takes on this vitamin A-rich veggie.
Most recipes say to either bake or roast butternut squash—but what's the difference? While both cooking methods will turn the tough, raw gourd into a soft, sweet ingredient, roasting butternut squash is the more common process for achieving browned, crispy edges and a creamy interior.
Squashes behave very differently when cooked in the oven or on the stovetop. Generally, a squash that is roasted in the oven is going to have a much softer texture, one that can get mushy if mixed with other ingredients, but making it ideal for a purée, soup, or being mashed.
Butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes, should be perfectly roasted after about 25 to 35 minutes in an oven heated to 400 degrees F. When it's done, the squash should be lightly browned and easily pierced with a fork.
Golden brown, caramelized, and seasoned with salt and pepper, it has a delectable sweet and salty taste and buttery texture. If you've never roasted butternut squash before, you have to try it this fall!
What's the Difference Between Baking and Roasting? Roasting uses the same type of all-over, dry heat as baking, but at higher temperatures between 400 and 450° F. Choose the roasting method to get thicker, tougher foods brown and crisp, and the baking method to retain moisture in thinner, more delicate foods.
Baking typically requires less cooking time than roasting, making it a quicker option for many recipes, especially baked goods like cakes and cookies. 3. Roasting requires higher temperatures than baking, which can help to create a crispy exterior on the food while cooking it evenly on the inside.
The key to avoiding watery butternut squash is to roast it rather than steam it. Steaming butternut squash causes the vegetable to absorb more water and doesn't impart much flavor. Roasting the squash prevents this and caramelizes the vegetable's natural sugars, adding another layer of flavor to your dish.
You can either roast butternut squash in its skin, halved, or cut into wedges. It can be served stuffed as a stunning main, as a simple side dish, stirred into risottos, pasta or salads, or blitzed into a soup. By peeling and dicing, the cubes of squash will become more caramelised, with plenty of texture.
Extreme cold, heat, drought or too much irrigation, or even a lack of plant nutrients, excessive pest infestation or disease can all create these elevated levels of cucurbitacin in the squash resulting in a bitter flavor.
You can eat the skin, so there's no need to peel it. Simply halve it, scoop out the seeds and chop it into chunks, then roast it and add it to a warm winter salad or throw it into curries, stews or soups. You can also roast the seeds and eat them as a snack or sprinkled over a finished dish.
Place squash, cut-sides down, in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour 2 cups water into the dish around the squash halves. Bake in the preheated oven until tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours, adding more water as needed.
Is it better to roast butternut squash face up or down? I personally prefer to roast my butternut squash with the cut-side-up. In my opinion, roasting it cut-side-up allows for the butternut squash to caramelize, rather than just steam and cook.
In a large bowl mix the cubed squash, garlic cloves and ginger with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix. Season with salt and pepper and scatter in a single layer in a roasting tray. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until tender all the way through.
Mushy veggies are also often the result of overcooking. When the interior is loaded with moisture, you have to cook it for much longer to evaporate all of the water and avoid the interior having the unappealing, spongy, raw texture that eggplant and zucchini are notorious for.
Roasting pans vary widely in size, but even a small one can accommodate a large enough roast to feed a small family, or could hold one or two chickens. Baking dishes tend to be smaller, because even large casseroles are smaller than a full-size turkey. Roasting pans usually include a rack, while baking dishes do not.
An electric roaster oven is a portable appliance that can serve as an extra oven for cooking a turkey or large roast. Generally the cooking time and oven temperature setting are the same as for conventional cooking. Always check the roaster's use and care manual for the manufacturer's recommended temperature settings.
Squash is rich in minerals, including calcium. Calcium helps build and maintain healthy bones and teeth. The vitamins A and C in squash also help keep your bones healthy. In fact, a 2017 review of studies linked vitamin A deficiency to an increased risk of bone fractures.
Address: Apt. 203 613 Huels Gateway, Ralphtown, LA 40204
Phone: +2135150832870
Job: Regional Design Producer
Hobby: Nordic skating, Lacemaking, Mountain biking, Rowing, Gardening, Water sports, role-playing games
Introduction: My name is Fredrick Kertzmann, I am a gleaming, encouraging, inexpensive, thankful, tender, quaint, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/how-to-bake-butternut-squash-907a808ea9294e139457a2223aaafb71.jpg "Roasted Butternut Squash vs. Baked Butternut Squash (1)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/how-to-roast-butternut-squash-3fb662cd8da145fd9d08e1145b385a10.jpg "Roasted Butternut Squash vs. Baked Butternut Squash (2)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/how-to-cook-butternut-squash-90ea535b497248e3ada70b93fe6c67b8.jpg "Roasted Butternut Squash vs. Baked Butternut Squash (3)")
