32 Irresistible Butternut Squash Recipes to Get You in the Fall Spirit (2024)

FAQs

How does Gordon Ramsay cook butternut squash? ›

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.

The fruits begin as tiny green squashes, with the flowers still attached, and they ripen over the course of several weeks. Fruits are ready to harvest when they turn from green to a pale orange-blue and the stem connecting the fruit to the plant begins to turn brown.

Butternut squash are harvested in late summer and autumn, but because they keep so well, they can be found all year round.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Halve the squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh nutmeg and roast until just tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

If butternut squash is left on the vine past its mature stage, it can become overripe. The skin may become dull or wrinkled, and the flesh inside can become stringy and fibrous. Overripe squash may not store well and may have a less desirable texture and flavor.

The One Way To Tell Butternut Squash Is Ripe

Light to dark green spots on the skin tells you it's definitely not ready to be eaten. If the skin is very pale—more creamy white than tan—it's not ripe. Look for a rich tan, darker amber, or orange color. It should also be matte, not glossy.

Squash plants will not survive a freeze, so keep your estimated first frost date in mind as you plant. If you sow seed later in the planting season, consider choosing an early harvest variety.

Butternut Squash: Butternut squash is a superb source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and fiber, all of which can contribute to lower inflammation levels. Blend butternut squash into soups or roast it with a touch of cinnamon for a sweet and savory side dish.

Butternut squashes (and most orange squashes) are loaded with vitamin A. A single cup provides more vitamin A than most people need in a day (457% of the daily value, to be exact). Most winter squash have long shelf lives and can last in a cool, dry place for weeks or even months! Pumpkins don't have to be orange.

Which tastes better butternut or acorn squash? ›

Acorn squash is milder in taste and slightly more fibrous in texture than butternut squash: Its sweet, nutty flavor is additionally muted by the watery character of its flesh. Still, most recipes that call for acorn squash can be made with another members of the squash family, such as Hubbard or butternut.

Butternut squash is long (around a foot, generally) and vaguely bell-shaped, with a thicker bottom end, and has tan skin. Buttercup squash, by contrast, has dark skin and is more short and round -- similar to an acorn squash, but without any of the latter's distinctive ridges.

Perhaps the favorite of the squash family - Butternut squash. With a long shape and creamy orange flesh, this is a quintessential autumn favorite. Its sweet, nutty flavor makes it ideal for soups, purees, and roasting.

1. Butternut Squash. One of the most popular varieties of squash, it can be use in so many ways. It's one of the most rich in Vitamin A, boasting about 100% of the recommended daily value per cup, in the antioxidant form of beta-carotene.

Roast at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden and soft. Or, next time you've got the oven on, use up the space to cook a whole squash – simply bake it just as it is until you can insert a knife in easily, then use it over the following days for throwing into salads or to turn into pancakes or fritters.

It's important to note that while many people choose to remove butternut squash skin (and this is best practice for soup making, where you want smooth results), you can 100% eat roasted butternut squash skin. Slice butternut squash into crescents and roast it with the skin on.

The squash also retains most of its nutrients when it is steamed and has a wonderfully sweet butternuttiness to it. Steamed butternut can also be used in a variety of ways – added to salads, mashed, puréed or enjoyed as is with a simple seasoning of your choice.