Oven Roasted Butternut Squash

So simple yet so elegant, Oven Roasted Butternut Squash is a tasty and versatile side dish that goes good with just about anything, any time of day!

I recently came to realize [once again] that I don’t often enough share my super easy, every day life recipes, like this Oven Roasted Butternut Squash, which I pretty much eat on a weekly basis whenever squash is in season.

I guess it’s because I find they are way too simple to deserve the exclusivity of an entire post. Plus, my mind is always like: “Duh, people already KNOW how to make this basic stuff, they certainly don’t need me to show them again.

But sometimes, even when we know how to make something we tend to forget about them and it’s nice to be reminded of their existence. Plus, it’s often interesting to check out someone else’s take on a familiar recipe.

Besides, we’re not always in the mood for elaborate dishes and sometimes, the simplest things in life turn out to be the best… For me, butternut squash that gets slowly roasted in a hot oven until it caramelizes would be one of those things.

Caramelization really is the key with this dish. You’d be surprised what it brings to the squash in terms of depth and flavor. Also, baking the squash as opposed to steaming or boiling it makes it so rich and thick and creamy… you don’t need to do or add anything to it after it’s done baking.

Oh, and for the record, you mustn’t absolutely use butternut squash for this dish to work. You can use this exact same technique with basically any kind of winter squash: buttercup, acorn, carnival, kabosha or even spaghetti squash.

The first thing you need to do is preheat your oven to 375°F. Small detail, but very important nonetheless. This makes all the difference in the world. Your oven needs to be nice and hot as soon as the squash enters it.

While that temperature is climbing, cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the guts and seeds with a spoon. I like to use my trusty ice cream spoon for that. I find it has the perfect shape as well as the necessary sturdiness and the sharp edges make the task so much easier.

And there you have it, so simple, yet so elegant. This tasty side dish goes well with just about anything and goes down very good any time of day. It’s perfect at breakfast, lunch or dinner and is especially fabulous post work-out!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium to large butternut squash
• 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Generous sprinkle of salt and pepper
• About 1/4 cup water

Share this post