Baked Butternut Squash

This recipe is super easy (and it makes your house smell fabulous!) I'm baking the squash to actually add to a butternut squash ravioli recipe and I couldn't be more excited. One thing I found, though, is that mine were done around 45 - 50 minutes, but I think my squash were a bit smaller than most. Just keep checking them and decide for yourself when they're done! Can't wait to mash this up with some parmesan! YUM!

I scooped the squash out with a spoon, added butter, salt & pepper, mashed it and served it on Thanksgiving. Thanks for a great, simple recipe!

After baking, instead of removing the skin, I turned the squash halves over so the cut side was up. Then I put the butter, a small amount of brown sugar and maple syrup, salt and pepper on the squash. I used a fork to cut the squash a little bit to make room for those things. Then put them on a broiler pan and broiled them until the tops were a little brown. We just ate the squash out of the skins.

How much water do you put in the pan? Am ready to try this. Ruth

This is a great recipe.. wonderful jumping off point. I had never cooked fresh butternut squash before so this was very helpful. I changed it up a bit, though. Instead of putting any water in with it, I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds then brushed it with olive oil. I put it cut side up, sprinkled it with sea salt and cracked pepper and roasted it.. no water.. for about an hour to an hour and a half at 350 until it was soft enough to mash. I let it cool so it was easy to scoop out and mashed it up with some butter and a dash of ground ginger.. no sour cream.. it was smooth and creamy on it's own. No sugar needed, either! The roasting brought out the sweet of the squash and it was perfect! Just before serving I put it in the microwave for just a minute to heat it up and topped it with a pat of butter.. YUM!

Loved it! (Just as written) Did you know you can make amish pumpkin pies from these squash? For every 4 cups of mashed squash, add 1 c. evap milk, dash of salt, and 2 eggs and 2 TB flour. Sprinkle the top liberally with cinnamon.

My mother used to fix it similarly, and is the method I prefer, even if making it for squash braided yeast bread. I can scoop it out and mash the squash for other uses. As for the commenter who rated this a one, I don't understand such a low rating when I take it that she didn't even try it yet. Just add an inch of water. Add a little more if the squash isn't done and if the water goes down. The purpose of the water is to gently steam the squash while it is baking. You end up with a very delicate side dish that really only needs a little butter, salt and pepper. Very versatile, it can be mashed, pureed for soups or breads, or eaten right out of the shells. Delicious!

Ode to the possibilities with this recipe! This is truly Plain Jane - which is utterly lovely as is! But it doesn't always need to be plain....... Until I read through this recipe and the comments on it, I didn't think how easy it would be to add any seasonings we wished: olive-oil-lemon-juice-garlic-red-pepper-flakes-rosemary-and/or-sage-S&P and at the end of cooking parmesan; brown-sugar-cayenne-cinnamon-nutmeg - optionally topped with raisins and nuts; sauteed-onions,garlic,&?maybe-ginger optionally topped with green onion; sage-cinnamon-garlic-&?cream? topped with walnuts; curry&toasted-coconut&raisins&nuts; OJ-concentrate&cranberry-relish; oh, and I'm wondering about balsamic, apple slices and blue cheese; or.... cooking sherry & figs (hubs swore of 'the real stuff'...)....etc.... ****&***** (Oh! WOW! sha-bang!): CAJUN SEASONINGS (I absolutely love the Butternut Squash Cajun Fries from this site, but sadly, I don't make them as often as I'd like to eat them, all due to the work of paring them down...sometimes I simply have more butternut squash than I have time........ now I've got a NEW PLAN!)..... Thanks Coot226 - and all the rest of you too!

Wonderfully easy and tasty recipe. We topped it off by mashing squash with butter, brown sugar and salt. So tasty.

I have been cooking this squash for many years in the microwave! Simply cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds and place in a glass dish with the skin side up. Add a tiny bit of water and cover with a piece of wax paper just resting on top. Cook until soft when pierced with a fork. (apx 15 - 20 min depending on size) Remove flesh and add butter, S&P, or whatever else you like. Fast and easy! llittle

Yum! I'd never a made squash before and this made it easy! Thanks!

Was skeptical to have it without brown sugar but followed recipe with just butter, S&P. My 2 & 5 yr olds had several helpings each! Cooked at 450 for less than 60 minutes.

This is the easiest squash recipe I have ever made! I usually scoop it out with a spoon and mash it up with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Delicious!

Hands down, the easiest side dish I've ever made! The squash added a nice aroma to the kitchen and turned out very tender and flavorful.

I usually bake it without the water/bain marie. What a lovely way to keep it moist!

I love butternut squash. This was a great way to cook it. I've never cooked it like this but I will from now on. When it was done I flipped them over and brushed with some butter and added a bit of brown sugar. Yummy!

VERY good! And I've not yet added any butter or brown sugar. The it will be FABulous!

The only thing I do differently is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours at 225-250 and use Seasoned salt on it along with plenty of butter. Very little loss with small seed cavity and oodles of meat on these makes them very good for freezing after baking.

Love it! So easy to make & comes out perfect! I can't eat salt, but even minue the butter & salt, it is still wonderful!

This is a great recipe. I cook mine in the microwave, a little faster than the oven. Cook on high until done. Also, great when you sprinkle nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar in the shell. I cover mine with wax paper when cooking.

Baked as directed for 90 mins at 350. When done, I flipped over and drizzled with Olive Oil and a Sea Salt/Herb mixture. VERY good!!

Simple delish and perfect. Just what I was looking for. Thanks!

This recipe is perfect!Very easy to follow! I didn't even have to add any seasoning or anything to the squash after it was cooked, squash was perfectly tender and buttery, definitely using this recipe again!

I have never cooked butternut squash before...I wanted to try something simple. I followed the recipe exactly. I only cooked half so I could try it and also because I used the other half in another recipe on this site for turkey chili with butternut squash (also delicious!) I thought this was a simple recipe and I will make again. Since I only cooked one half, that may be why it was done in 60 minutes. Definitely will make this recipe again. Thank you!

My "watermelon" plants turned out to be butternut squash! This was the first time I cooked this type of squash, so the recipe and reviews were very helpful. It turned out delicious. Thank you!

I had no idea this version of butternut squash was so good. I didn't use any sugar and sure didn't need to. I ate practically the whole thing myself! I am adding this to my sweet potato rotation for sure.

First time I ever cooked butternut squash. Since I'm on paleo, I used grass-fed ghee instead of butter and I only used a dash of salt as I'm trying to keep that down as well. I was surprised how good this was. I need to get some practice removing the skin though. I'll be making this a lot. Thanks to the creator.

I make this at Christmas with an orange cranberry sauce in the depression and dusted with nutmeg. Makes for a pretty presentation and I think it's yummy.

Delicious! Simple! Quick!

Best way I've tried to bake butternut. The squash absorbs some water, but is VERY easy to remove from the skin. I use a ice cream scoop, but a larger spoon should work well also.

Made the recipe exactly as directed. It was so simple and very delicious. I even roasted the squash seeds as well and ate them as an appetizer with my family.

It doesn't get any easier than this for a side dish.

After baking I turned the squash over and added butter and brown sugar. Put it under the broiler for a few minutes. It was sooo good.

This recipe resulted in the most tender and moist dish. We skipped the salt and pepper and the butter because it was so moist and flavorful by itself. This will be a weekly dish though out the fall and winter.

I wish to thank you for posting this most wonderful recipe. It was my introduction to Butternut Squash and what an excellent one it was. I can't do anything like I'm told and so, with this, I changed the recipe. I added Lime Juice and a dash of Cayenne Pepper. WONDERFUL! The Baking time though...I cranked my oven up to 400 and only cooked it for 40 minutes and it's done, done, done. This is one of those border vegetables which can be either sweet or savory. I'm thinking of some herb combinations. Would like to come up with a seafood to pair with it but, other than Tilapia (Sewer Salmon), I can't think of any...yet.

I LOVED this recipe! I added a teaspoon of butter and mashed it but honestly I don't think the butter was needed. I roasted it for an hour at 425. I will be making this again and again and again!!

My family loved this squash recipe. My squash was about 2 lbs and it took 1 hour to bake. After removing the skin, I mashed it in a bowl with a pad of butter, salt, and pepper. Easy and tasty!

I am making it again. It is now on my favorite list. I think it is "Simply the Best" I am including it on my Thanksgiving Day list in addition to the squash dressing I added last year.

I did as stated in the recipe. I was concerned about the amount of water as someone else was, but read through the reviews and found one that said add about 1 inch of water. That worked perfectly. Baked for 90 minutes and it was perfect for mashed squash. IF you are wanting chunks for salads or some other preparation, then bake for less time as the squash was very mushy at 90 minutes and would have been horrible for chunks.

I love baking squash in the oven. For this recipe, I put in celery and onions into the middle of the scooped out part and add salt and pepper and some butter and cook facing up. Delicious.

OK but not great. Could maybe make 1/year

I didn't think I would like squash. I like sweet potatoes though, so I tried this and now I think Butternut squash is even better! I just followed this recipe and used a little salt and butter to season it!

Ridiculously easy and delicious. Great on its own, but also perfect to customize flavors, based on other dishes or personal taste. To each his own.

Came out very moist.

Easy and delicious!

Tasty simple side for the fall.

This was super easy, tasted great I enjoyed it. I did not peel, which made it a little harder to eat. Water? I let water cover about 1/3 of the half squash. I didn't taste salt, but pepper made a difference. Thank you.

Perfect directions

Turned out perfectly! I've been doing it like I thought my Mom did and it took forever to cook. Great way to do it, and I can add the butter and brown sugar when it's almost done, top up.

Easy to bake, easy to peel the skin off of after it's out of the oven. Mashed it up added a little butter & brown sugar. Dear wife and I ate almost all of it.

I loved this. the squash turns out buttery smooth and delicious. I'm 17 so I'm new at cooking but this made it stress-free. the 2 things that I personally would recommend are using a knife with teeth and putting butter on it while it bakes. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I have.

I do this very often, butternut squash is a favorite. Often we put into a bowl and smash with butter, salt, and pepper. It's awsome either way. Even bake with cut halves up covered with butter and brown sugar sometimes (like you would acorn squash

easy and tasty

Easy and delicious!!

Deceptively simple and flavorful. Thanks!

Pretty simple. You can't really overcook one, but you certainly can UNDERcook one.

Will definitely make this again. So easy easy easy.

Never had butternut squash before, and I cooked as directed. However, after peeling and slicing I drizzled pure maple syrup on and butternut squash is now our favorite veggie.

It is THE best!!!

I added some brown sugar to it.

this turned out great and was really good and easy to make.

It seemed a little bland as it was (i am not a squash fan), so I peeled the skin, and added only a small amount more of butter, small amount of brown sugar and sprinkled a little cinnamon and nutmeg on it. Was delicious!!! I will be making this again for sure.

Added some grated cheese to it

Easy. Delicious!

Made this at the same time I made acorn squash, these were my first attempt at baking squash, both came out perfect and the recipe couldn't have been easier to follow resulting in 2 very excellent squash dishes for my wife, we both enjoyed them very much, thank you Coot226

I baked it according to the instructions. I did make a few changes however becauseI don't prefer sweet on my acorn squash so what I done was the salt and pepper but I also added paprika and cayenne. I also pre cooked potatoes to the halfway point placed them inside of the well with some butter and added after baking, added some sour cream with some sweet sauce very lightly dribbled like honey on top of the potatoes that was as sweet as I could go. I was used to eating acorn squash soup which I absolutely adore however this was a nice change and in the future I think I might actually get it out of the shell like I do for the soup and mix it in with other vegetables and do a broiled version. Btw, We put the water level between half and three quarters of the actual squash halves(hubby's idea). The skin we've heard is tough however ours came out very tender and I ate it with the actual squash enjoying every single bite.

I usually bake my squash similar to this recipe, except I do not find the need to add water to the pan. Most butternuts are nice and moist on their own and can be baked, cut side down, right on the baking sheet. I have never had problems with them coming out dry. Sometimes I will add butter and brown sugar to the inside of the squash, and of course bake it cut side up. I check the tenderness often during baking, as it doesn't always take as long as this recipe calls for.

So easy, nothing needed except the flavor from the squash itself. When my kids see me come home from the grocery store with a butternut squash the immediately ask if I can cook it tonight. Definitely a wonderful side, or if you so choose and you're on your own get a small one and cook it up and eat it all to yourself :-) it's incredibly nutritious

came out perfect

I loved this recipe! Cooked the squash perfectly. Added a bit of brown sugar and butter. Amazing!

Made butternut squash first time in my life. It was so good paired with garlicky tasting pork roast. The best part is - it turn so little time to prepare.

Cinnamon and sufar to taste.

Super easy recipe for a beginner like myself. I did what a few others in the comments did: no water, just brushed with olive oil and left it with the cut-side up for 60 minutes. It was great just plain! Even the skin turned out fairly good.

This is very good and easy to fix. I have learned to cover the pan with foil as well as line it. Covering it with foil lets it cook more evenly and lining the pan makes cleanup a snap. I then season it with butter, brown sugar, salt and a cinnamon to taste.

Made no changes other than Margarine instead of Butter. First time cooking that type of Squash. Turned out amazing.

I made a glaze of orange rind, orange juice, turbinado sugar, and butter, bushed it on squash and broiled it. I also sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground pepper before the glaze. Got lots of raves! I think a little cinnamon and nutmeg next time....Great recipe. Joy

I wasn't sure how to bake the squash I that was gifted to me, so I tried this recipe. The results were great!

Very good but seems too long cooking time. I give mine a couple minutes in the microwave first then oven for about 30-45 minutes.

I've always been a little afraid to make this from scratch, opting instead for frozen or pre-cut. But I got a squash in my Misfits box, so I tried this recipe. I had my husband cut it for me; that was the part I was afraid of, as my hands shake a little. The rest was so easy! I followed the advice of two other commenters and used the microwave with about an inch of water on the bottom. I set it on the auto sensor, and it was done perfectly in about 10 minutes (it wasn't large). Absolutely delicious! My husband scraped his clean; I served it with leftover turkey loaf, and we were both full and happy. Afraid no longer! Thanks for giving me an easy intro to butternut squash!

Awful, couldn't eat it. Had to throw it away.

very good. [ut butter and salr and pepper on it after I peeled the skin off.

I added 1 cup of water to a 9x9 pan and stuffed my squash into it upside down. (I know you're not supposed to do this with most things... but) I raised the temp. to 365 degrees and baked it for 1 hr. since I was in a hurry. Worked great.

I've never really ate squash but since I'm trying to eat healthier I gave it a try. This was so easy! I did it as it was written, adding a cup of water to the pan. It was baked to perfection after about an hour. I added salt, pepper, butter & some brown sugar, then put under the broiler for a few. So good!

Came out perfectly!

Delicious and really easy

My husband and I hated it. No flavor orange mush. However, my dog loved it, thought it was the best thing ever.

I loved it, my wife loved it too!

Made this tonight and everyone raved about it. I used a decent sized butternut squash, baked at 350 in convection oven, it was fully cooked after 1-hour (borderline mushy). 1.5 hours it would have been soup! I took another reviewers advice to remove the skin and cut the squash into pieces; drain the water from the glass pan and put the squash pieces back in, season with salt, drizzle them with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar, then put under the broiler for a few minutes till sugar caramelizes. It was fantastic.

This was so very simple to make, and very good. It took far less than 1.5 hours for me, maybe because I use a convection oven, but came out perfectly. I preferred it to my usual cooking method, higher temperature roasting. We served it with chopped pecans mixed into the squash. No salt, butter, sweeteners or spices. It was nice to be able to taste the subtle flavor of the squash.

It was so delicious that I am making this a regular staple in my dinner menu.

This worked great. It was about 1/2 C of water that I put in the pan. Just enough to keep it from drying out.

So easy, so good a very easy side dish if you plan ahead. Thanks

Nice simple recipe. After it was baked I scooped out the squash, added butter, brown sugar,and apple pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice). Mixed it up, put it back in the skin and baked it for another 15 minutes. Everyone thought it was great.

No amount listed for water so mine dry boiled to a crisp in the 1.5 hours recommended for a large squash.

This was fun to take to the fourth of July potluck. So easy and a conversation piece. A hit with all. Plus - no cutting it into cubes!!

Pretty simple. You can't really overcook one, but you certainly can UNDERcook one.

Easy and straightforward. I used the squash to make soup. Tip for cutting squash: use an electric knife that is sharp.

I bought two of the halved, peeled, cleaned-out butternut squash pieces. I tried this method with one. I'm used to boiling and mashing which I like. I followed the top reviewer, Micah's recommendations. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs, adding a little water to the foil-lined pan I used, as it dried out fast). Then butter, salt, pepper and brown sugar and broil (only takes a few min to carmelize). I cut off a portion, and it was delicious. As much as this was good, I'm still going to boil and mash the other half that I purchased and add my own spices.

I cut the squash in half, cleaned it out, baked it cut side down for 90 minutes with the water in the pan. After 90 minutes I did the same as another reviewer. I put butter on the top of it, sprinkled sea salt and pepper on it, and then sprinkled brown sugar on top of that. Put under the broiler for approximately 3 minutes. My husband LOVED it!