Roasted Butternut Squash
on Nov 15, 2019, Updated Jan 18, 2025
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Caramelized and beautiful - the perfect addition to any fall or holiday table.
This simple roasted butternut squash is an easy side dish you can make all fall and winter long. It’s also an easy 3-ingredient recipe that you will happily call upon when it comes time to find something orange to add to the holiday buffet, and you can’t face one more multistep recipe. Once the squash is cubed, it takes about 5 minutes to get it into the oven.
Roasting butternut or winter squash with a bit of brown sugar falls into the nothing-new-under-the-sun category, but frankly, cooking for your family and friends and searching for new things under the sun aren’t always compatible endeavors. Serve this up alongside a juicy, Perfect Roast Chicken with Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries for the coziest cold-weather meal. Your kitchen will smell like autumnal heaven.
Butternut squash harvest generally begins in September, hence its reputation as a fall and winter staple.
Table of Contents
This super simple buttery roasted squash dish is a perfect addition to any fall or winter meal, and any holiday spread.
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Butternut squash – You can cut up your own butternut squash or buy it pre-cubed if you want to take a shortcut.
- Unsalted butter – I like to use butter here for a warm, creamy flavor. You can use oil if you want a vegan version of this dish.
- Light or dark brown sugar – The small amount of sugar emphasizes the squash’s natural sweetness.
- Kosher salt
How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash
- Prepare to roast: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Season the squash: Cut the squash into cubes according to these directions. Spread the pieces of squash on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the melted butter over the squash and sprinkle it with the brown sugar and salt. Toss the squash until it is evenly coated.
- Roast the squash: Pop the squash in the oven and roast until it is nicely browned and tender, about 35 to 45 minutes, stirring it once halfway through the cooking time.
Variations
A couple of simple additions can transform your roasted butternut squash in a heartbeat!
- Add maple syrup to the brown sugar butternut squash combination.
- Drizzle a homemade simple cream sauce over the butternut squash.
Pro Cooking Tips
- You can multiply this roasted butternut squash recipe easily to feed a crowd, but you will want to make sure that the pieces of squash are distributed in a single layer on the baking sheet without being at all crowded to get that nice browned, caramel-y exterior.
- If you make more than one batch, you’ll likely have to use more than one baking sheet and rotate them on the oven racks midway through roasting.
- If the kids want to get in on the squash action, they can scoop the seeds out of the squash and measure the brown sugar and salt. Once you have cut up the squash, they can spread it out on the baking sheet, drizzle the butter over it, and toss it with the brown sugar and salt.
What to Serve With Roasted Butternut Squash
More Butternut Squash Recipes
- Indian Butternut Squash-Carrot Soup
- Moroccan Lamb and Butternut Squash Stew
- Butternut Squash and White Bean Ragout
- Butternut Squash Casserole
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Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 butternut squash (about 1 1⁄4 pounds; peeled and cut into 1 1⁄2-inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread the pieces of squash on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the melted butter over the squash and sprinkle it with the brown sugar and salt. Toss the squash until it is evenly coated.
- Bake the squash until it is nicely browned and tender, 35 to 45 minutes, stirring it once halfway through the cooking time.
Notes
- You can multiply this roasted butternut squash recipe easily to feed a crowd, but you will want to make sure that the pieces of squash are distributed in a single layer on the baking sheet without being at all crowded to get that nice browned, caramel-y exterior.
- If you make more than one batch, you’ll likely have to use more than one baking sheet and rotate them on the oven racks midway through roasting.
- If the kids want to get in on the squash action, they can scoop the seeds out of the squash and measure the brown sugar and salt. Once you have cut up the squash they can spread it out on the baking sheet, drizzle the butter over it, and toss it with the brown sugar and salt.
Made this the other night with butternut squash I’ve had since September (!) and it was de-lic-ious. My husband couldn’t stop talking about it. BS is something I was not sure what to do with (thus having it for 4 months) and now have a great recipe. Thanks so much! And I love that you included tips for how to have your kids help. Awesome!
And so ridiculously easy, right? Glad you liked it so much!