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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The roasting time is determined by the size of your squash. To check tenderness, prick the side with a fork. If the flesh is tender inside the skin, it's ready. Begin checking it at 30 minutes, then continue to check it every 3 to 5 minutes, until tender.
Place the squash in one layer in a roasting tray and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the seeds, cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the skin of the squash is soft, then remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes until the squash is golden and crisp.
As the veggies hit the boiling water, volatile acids are released into the water and are carried away in the steam. When the pot is covered, the steam and the acids it contains are forced back into the water. Once there, the acids react with the chlorophyll in the vegetables, turning them an unsightly shade of brown.
Steaming, boiling, microwaving, and pressure cooking are quick moist-heat ways to soften the flesh of this winter squash. These methods don't add much flavor, but they are great for soups and purees. Personally, roasting tastes the best.
There could be a few reasons why your roasted butternut squash is turning out soggy: Overcrowding: If you overcrowd the baking sheet with butternut squash pieces, they will release more moisture and steam, making it difficult for them to roast properly.
The most likely cause for a bitter taste in squash is due to an environmental stress of some sort, most likely a wide temperature flux or irregular irrigation. Either of these will create an excess of cucurbitacins to concentrate in the fruit.
The liquid is so strong that it can harden into protective scab if the squash becomes cut or damaged—much like a tree. This sap has the same effect on skin, it creates a tough film that can feel stiff, or even itchy.
A roasting pan makes the process of roasting something a lot easier. First, they can withstand direct heat at very high temperatures of more than 350°F. And unlike baking dishes, they are usually deep enough to better distribute that heat. Nothing prevents you from using another piece of cookware to cook a roast.
Both convection bake and roast use different temperature levels. When roasting, the oven is kept at a higher temperature, around 400 degrees Fahrenheit to achieve the perfect browning. On the other hand, convection baking is done at a somewhat lower temperature, around 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake is the word used for making things from dough in an oven, especially bread, cake, pie, and cookies. <We baked a cake for her birthday.> Toast is used to mean to make something warm and crisp (and usually brown or black) by heat - often using a toaster.
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.
Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable 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)")
