An easy way to get fresh, roasted squash butternut (or any other) purée to use in recipes at home.
So, as evidenced by my insistence on making my own pumpkin purée, you can probably imagine that I did not purchase a can of squash earlier this week for the butternut squash soup with bacon and sage. Instead, I roasted a butternut beauty that had been sitting and waiting patiently for me to finish making desserts and to start making dinner for the family again.
I purchased it way back at the beginning of November from one of the last vendors at the market, and it was finally time for this guy to shine. However, the biggest issue for me when making purée is always hacking into the hard, uncooked squash. So, I didn’t.
Instead, I simply made a few slices in the outer layer to allow steam to release, and I stuck the whole squash, stem and all, onto a baking sheet, popped it in the oven while another dish was baking and waited.
The squash came out easily, and I simply pulled the skin off (no peeling! , scooped the flesh into one bowl and the seeds into another (no scraping!). Voila! Butternut squash purée was ready, and the 10 minutes of effort I made sticking it in the oven and scooping paid off in the form of dinner the next night.
Once you have the purée, the question becomes what to do with it. Here are a few ideas to get you inspired:
Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Sage | Food for My Family
Butternut Squash Bread | Dine and Dish (her ancient blog)
Butternut Squash Risotto | Bitchin’ Kitchen
Curried Squash Soup | Simply Recipes
Butternut Squash Muffins with Golden Raisins and Currants | Baking and Books
Roasted Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Soup | Food52
Preheat oven to 350º. Make five or six 1/2″-deep slices in the side of the squash. Place the squash on a baking sheet and then into the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the skin starts to wrinkle and the flesh of the squash is soft.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Peel skin away and carefully scoop squash into a food processor or blender, avoiding the seeds and guts. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Makes 3-4 cups squash purée
You make this look so easy. Can’t wait to try this in my next squash recipe!
So smart! Love the double use of oven time, too.
wow love this!!
Well would ya look at THAT. I’m absolutely doing this. My brain just erupted.
I always have a hard time chopping the squash in half – I’m so glad to know I can just put the whole thing in the oven 😀
You clever girl. Can’t wait to give this a whirl!
How interesting. I will have to try this. Thanks for sharing.
I make butternut squash puree all the time, but never thought to roast it whole. Genius! Some other ideas for use are as a sauce on pizza, as one of the layers in a basil-bechamel lasagna, and to make gnocchi (recipes searchable on my site if anyone wants a starting point).
This is a great technique! I also recently boiled a whole butternut squash which also works well if you have a pot large enough to accommodate it.
I need to do this more… I eat way too much processed stuff. The soup looks gorgeous too!
Great way to make puree. I used to struggle with cutting spaghetti squash before roasting it and I finally gave up and just roasted it whole. So much easier!
great tip to roast the whole thing!
Love roasted squash and how easy it is to make. We’ve been enjoying a lot of winter squash this year, especially since we joined a CSA.
I simply can’t get enough of roasted squash and soups this winter. Love your method of roasting the entire squash!
I’ll never cut into an uncooked squash again! Thanks for the tip!
Never thought of roasting squash that way, great idea. Have a squash in storage and ready for the oven.
Norma Chang’s last post: The Sacred Lotus http://gardentowok.com/2012/01/13/the-sacred-lotus-nelumbo-nucifera/
Innovative! Didn’t know that it could be done this way.
Roasted squash puree is the bomb, I could make puree all day everyday 😀
This is so cool!
You just made me want to go to my kitchen now.
~Matt
I’ve always yearned for good squash puree – the ones found at the supermarket just don’t cut it. Thanks for this! 🙂
Jimmy
Hmmmm, great idea. I have one butternut squash left this season too. Wow, the idea of not peeling it is very appealing (ha!). I’m thinking I could add cinnamon and nutmeg, then mix into Greek Yogurt or substitute for applesauce or butter in a muffin recipe. Okay, pre-heating oven now…
I like eating squash and it has a lot of vitamins..Thanks for the useful post to us..
Oh, thanks for the easy tip on how to roast butternut squash. I actually bought a nice, big one at Whole Foods the other day…I’m going to make a bread with almond flour, eggs, butternut squash and something else…I can’t remember 😉 🙂 In any case, this will make peeling/seeding it super easy 🙂 I found your recipe via a mention on the Life As Mom site 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂
Thanks so much, Heather! The bread sounds amazing! This is definitely an easier way than peeling it or hacking it in half. I’ve always struggled with that, to the point that I’d wait for my husband to come home so I could make him do it.
Wow, that sounds so easy. I don’t mind peeling squash, but to not have to cut it would be awesome. Is it hard to not get the sinewy parts and seeds into the puree? How do you avoid them?
I’ve been doing this for years with all types of winter squash. Love how easy it is. I do it with acorn squash that we’re going to eat halved with butter & syrup. Put them in the oven whole for about 20-25 minutes, then cut and scrape out the seeds. Back into the oven to complete the cooking. Yum!
So smart! I would never have thought to stick the whole think in the oven!!! Brilliant!
I cook alot of butternut squash to freeze the puree, however I have never done it whole! I wonder if this preparation would allow for a more dry and solid product? I always struggle with a “too wet” end product that I use in brownie mix, pie etc. I am always trying to get it more solid and dry like a canned pumpkin puree is. I will try this method in hopes that my end product will be thicker and dryer! If this does not make a difference, does anyone else have a suggestion to get the squash to be dryer and of thicker consistency???
These tips can help me to make My day special and helpful because i eat such a different dish i must say it was truly an great work thank you.