How to Cook Butternut Squash

What You Need to Know

1. Butternut squash is a popular winter squash with yellow skin and an orange fleshy pulp on the inside.
2. Butternut squash is a good source of vitamins A, C and E, as well as of the minerals magnesium and potassium.
3. Try and buy squashes that are deep orange in colour. This shows that they have ripened and will taste even sweeter and richer.
4. Though edible, the skin, seeds and stalk of the butternut squash are usually not eaten so you will need to remove these before you get cooking.
5. Boiling a butternut squash is both quick and easy. Simply cut it into smaller chunks and place these in a pan of boiling water for around 20 minutes.
6. Alternatively, place chunks onto a baking tray, drizzle some olive oil on top and roast them in the oven for around 25 minutes.

7. Butternut squash can be used in a variety of dishes, including soups, stews and risottos, while it also makes a good side dish for a roast dinner.

What is Butternut Squash?

Any good cook should have a good knowledge of their basic ingredients and so it's a good idea to learn a little about butternut squash before you get cooking.

Also know in some parts of the world as a butternut pumpkin, the fruit is a winter squash with yellow skin and an orange fleshy pulp on the inside. As it ripens, a squash will turn an increasingly-deeper shade of orange and, more importantly, will become even sweeter and richer.

Butternut squash is a good source of vitamins A, C and E, as well as of the minerals magnesium and potassium and as such is widely-credited with health benefits, such as boosting the body's immune system.

Preparing a Butternut Squash

Generally speaking, the skin, seeds and stalk of the butternut squash are not eaten (though are edible), so you will need to remove these before you get cooking.

To do this, cut the fruit in half lengthwise, taking care if you are using a sharp knife. Then, using a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds and finally, with your knife again, peel the skin off. It may be easier to do this last bit if you chop your halves into more manageable chunks first.

Now that you've prepared your squash, you're ready to cook it. However, the cooking method you should use will depend on how you want to eat the fruit. For instance, if you want to mash it with potatoes, it may be best to boil it, while if you're planning on adding it to dishes such as curries, stir fries or Sunday lunches, then roasting is the best bet.

Boiling a Butternut Squash

Just as with carrots and potatoes, butternut squash can be boiled, with this a simple method that allows you to get on with other things in the kitchen at the same time. Simply add some chopped squash into a pan of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes, though you may need a little longer if your chunks are particularly large.

Use a fork to pierce the squash while it is still in the hot water. If you are able to pierce the fruit easily, then that indicates it is done, so turn off the heat and drain.

Roasting a Butternut Squash

Roasting a butternut squash is arguably the easiest – and tastiest – way of cooking the fruit. Cookbooks and internet cooking sites offer wide-ranging suggestions on how best to do this, though if it's your first time cooking a squash, it's perhaps best to keep it simple.

So, start by cutting your butternut squash halves into small chunks. Then place them on a roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil, adding salt and black pepper if desired. Put the tray into the oven and cook on a medium-high heat for around 25 minutes or for as long as it takes for them to be soft on the inside yet relatively crunchy on the outside.

Suggested Uses

Butternut squash can be incorporated into a wide range of dishes, or simply enjoyed on its own, roasted and served with dips or sauce.

Among the most popular uses of squash is for hearty winter soups, though for this you will have to blend after roasting or boiling. Alternatively, serve roasted squash alongside other roasted vegetables and meat or a meat substitute for a full dinner, or chop the squash into smaller chunks and add them to risottos, pasta dishes or stews.

Further Reading

• Want to incorporate butternut squash into a healthy diet? Check the recipe suggestions on offer from WeightWatchers.
• Eating the odd healthy dish won’t have much on an impact on your health if the rest of your diet is full of salty, fatty foods. Read our guide to bad foods and learn what to avoid.
• Find out more about the benefits of eating high quality fruit and vegetables in our guide to organic foods.