I have been making squash similar to this recipe for some years and the family likes it a lot. Usually I bake it with the cut side up and coat it with butter and a light coat of brown sugar. This time I tried baking it as directed and it came out nice and moist too.
After baking in the oven I removed the skin and then covered it with butter, sea salt, fresh pepper, sprinkled brown sugar over it, and placed it back in the oven under the broiler just long enough to caramelize the brown sugar. It came out delicious. The salt and pepper add a nice dimension to the flavor that was just perfect.
This is a simple recipe that tastes great.
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!
