Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta + Bacon | Easy Butternut Squash Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to cook butternut squash Paula Deen? ›

Dry cooking methods such as roasting and sauteeing tend to bring a squash's sugars to the fore. You might want to blanch or par-cook the squash in a little bit of water before sauteeing; that would diminish the sweetness somewhat but allow you to finish the dish in the prescribed fashion.

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.

Halve butternut squash lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place cut sides up in a roasting pan (to help it sit level, slice a thin strip from skin sides). Fill each cavity with butter and pure maple syrup; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Roast until fork-tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Butternut squash contains considerable amounts of fiber, which can help you keep a healthy weight and regulate bowel movements. It's known to help prevent colorectal cancer while the beta-carotene in butternut squash can also improve eye health.

Butternut squash provides a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. Both work together to promote regular bowel movements and keep them soft so they are easier to pass. In addition to better BMs, eating a fiber-rich diet also supports a healthy gut microbiome, finds a 2022 review from Microorganisms.

Skip eating most hard-skinned squash raw. "Hard skinned squash is difficult to eat raw," Marz says. "They are usually much larger in size, have a harder flesh, and are much more fibrous." Examples of hard-skinned squash that should not be eaten raw include: pumpkins, delicate, butternut, Hubbard, and acorn.

It's high in fibre which means it may contribute to a healthy gut by improving digestion and reducing constipation. It's also low in calories and packed with beta-carotene – our bodies convert this to vitamin A to support the immune system, healthy eyes and strong bones.

What season is best for butternut squash? ›

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

The butternut squash ravioli would also be delicious with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese. To make it a full meal, pair it with crusty bread or rosemary focaccia, roasted veggies like broccoli or Brussels sprouts, or an autumn salad.

If you pick too early, the flesh will not be fully developed and the squash will lack flavor and not be that wonderfully vegetal sweet that is the wonder of butternut, honeynut, delicata, acorn, pumpkin and kabocha, among dozens of other winter squash.

Extreme cold, heat, drought or too much irrigation, or even a lack of plant nutrients, excessive pest infestation or disease can all create these elevated levels of cucurbitacin in the squash resulting in a bitter flavor.

Raw butternut squash can cause some people to develop an allergic skin reaction called “squash hands.” Wearing gloves while handling the fruit or purchasing prepared butternut squash can help you prevent this skin reaction. A 1% hydrocortisone cream can help alleviate squash hands symptoms.

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.

Method. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Wash and dry the whole squash, then place on a baking tray. Pierce once or twice with the tip of a sharp knife, then bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until golden and very soft.