- Butternut squash is this wonderfully curvy vegetable
that's delicious and versatile in so many different recipes
but it can sometimes be a little intimidating to prepare.
So today I'll not only show you how to peel and cut
butternut squash but also how to roast it in both cubes
and halves and give you some tips along the way.
Then you can choose your favorite method
and whip up some tasty fall and winter recipes
and I'll share some of my favorite butternut squash
recipes at the end of the video.
So without further ado, let's dive it.
Because butternut squash can be notoriously difficult
to cut you need to make sure you have two things
in your kitchen, a stable cutting board
that won't move around on you and a very sharp knife.
And even if you think you have a sharp knife,
it's always best to resharpen it again just to be sure.
Now, there's one way that you can make your squash
easier to cut and that's to microwave it
for a couple of minutes.
The secret there is to prick the squash all over with a fork
before microwaving and when it comes out
it's easier to peel and safer to cut.
But I'm not going to microwave mine today,
as I know some of you don't have a microwave
and I wanted to show you that you can still enjoy
this vegetable either way,
you might just need to use a little more elbow grease.
The first way we're going to cut this butternut squash
today is in cubes.
So slice off one end, flip it around
and slice off the other end.
Then you'll want to cut the bulb off,
so you have two separate pieces.
On mine it's about halfway down the middle
but yours may be different depending on the shape
and size of your squash.
I find it's much easier to peel two smaller pieces
than one large squash.
So that's why I cut it in half first
but you can always peel the squash first,
then slice it in half.
It's completely up to you.
But either way the most important thing
is making sure you have a very sharp Y peeler.
A Y peeler gives you a far better grip
than a swivel peeler.
So it's my preferred tool on most vegetables
including butternut squash and I'll link my favorite peeler
in the description box below.
Once the squash is peeled, it's tie to cut it.
Just stand one half on a flat end and slice it down
the middle, the bulb end will have the seeds
that we'll have to scoop out here in a second
and the thinner end should be all flesh.
Place the butternut squash flat side down
and slice it into half-inch to one-inch thick strips
depending on how big you'd like your cubes to be .
I personally prefer smaller cubes but that's
also because they cook faster.
Then stack a few slices on top of each other
and cut it into cubes.
(upbeat music)
For the bulb end use a spoon scoop out the seeds.
You can discard the seeds
or roast them in the oven separately.
If you do roast them, just cook them
at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes
or until they're golden.
We'll cut the bulb end the same way by laying it flat side
down slicing it into strips
then cutting those strips into cubes.
Once the entire butternut squash is peeled and cubed
you can transfer the pieces to a baking sheet.
Make sure that they're in one single layer
and not overlapping and then drizzle some avocado
or olive oil on the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Then use your hands
to make sure everything is well coated and combined.
But before we roast this, let me show you the second way
to cut butternut squash and that's in halves.
The stem is super tough to cut through
so you'll want to the same as we did previously
and cut that end off first.
Then you can cut the butternut squash in half length-wise.
You'll see that even with a big sharp knife
this can take quite a bit of work but I find that
rocking the knife back and forth also helps.
And I try to cut through one side first
then flip it around and continue my cut down
the other side until I've made it all the way through.
Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from each half
and then you can roast these
for a tasty and delicious snack.
I personally love butternut squash seeds
more than pumpkin seeds and I think they're more flavorful.
So if you haven't tried roasting them before
you should definitely give it a go.
When it comes to roasting the butternut squash halves,
you can roast them cut side up or down
but I prefer cut side down as they don't roll around
on the baking tray and the flesh gets nice
and caramelized on the bottom.
So drizzle a little oil on each half, use your fingers
to make sure it's fully coated and sprinkle
with a little salt and pepper, then flip them over.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
and since I've got both of these trays
I'm gonna roast them at the same time.
Individually they'll take about 40-45 minutes to roast
but smaller cubes will cook faster than larger cubes
and of course, if you have a larger butternut squash
half it can take a few minutes longer as well.
About half way through I'll give the cubes a flip
with a spatula, just to make sure
all the pieces cook evenly because sometimes
those cubes on the outer edge will cook faster
than those in the middle.
When the roasted butternut squash cubes are done,
they'll be soft and tender and some of the edges will
start to turn more golden.
And when the roasted butternut squash halves
are done, carefully flip hem over with a spatula
because they will be steamy and hot on the inside.
The edges will be nice and caramelized
and the flesh will be so soft,
you can scoop it out with a spoon.
Now that you've mastered the art of peeling, cutting
and roasting butternut squash, you might be thinking,
hm, now what do I do with it?
Of course you can enjoy squash straight out of the oven
with just a little a little seasoning
or you can transform it into so many different recipes.
A few of my favorites include
my roasted butternut squash soup,
which is warm and nourishing and my roasted butternut squash
romaine and goat cheese salad,
which is a lighter alternative.
And next week, I'm posting recipes for mash butternut squash
which is a great side dish
and a kale a butternut squash frittata that I've been
eating for breakfast on repeat.
You can find all of these recipes and more
on my website and makes sure you subscribe
to emails so you don't miss them when they post next week.
I hope you guys enjoyed this video
and if you did make sure to like, comment and subscribe
and I will see you again in the next video.