What to do with these butternut squash?

[saraha]

I was gifted a 15 lb box of butternut squash. I have never eaten it before ever. They are smaller in size, about the length of my hand wrist to fingertip. They are a pretty tan color outside, I haven’t cut one open yet. 
Suggestions?

[Rosie_0801]

Use them like pumpkin.

[KatieJ]

I bake them whole , scoop out the squash. Add salt, pepper and butter, brown sugar if you like it sweetened. I then freeze it in meal portions. Fabulous with pork roasts.

Butternut squash soup is also a favorite. 

[Miss Tick]

They can over winter in a basement or some place similar, so no rush to use them.

I love butternut squash roasted. I often roast them with onions, add to cooked pasta and toss with a garlic and balsamic vinegar sauce.

[saraha]

4 minutes ago, KatieJ said:

I bake them whole , scoop out the squash. Add salt, pepper and butter, brown sugar if you like it sweetened. I then freeze it in meal portions. Fabulous with pork roasts.

Butternut squash soup is also a favorite. 

When you bake them whole, do you mean you don’t take the seeds and pulp out til after? When I bake a pumpkin, I cut it on half, clean it out, then bake it

[Rosie_0801]

1 minute ago, saraha said:

When you bake them whole, do you mean you don’t take the seeds and pulp out til after? When I bake a pumpkin, I cut it on half, clean it out, then bake it

Either way works.

[prairiewindmomma]

Butternut is one of my favorite squashes! 
 

Soup: https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-butternut-squash-soup/

Roasted: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229733/simple-roasted-butternut-squash/

As a savory skillet meal: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a56379/cheesy-bacon-butternut-squash-recipe/

You pretty much always want to roast it to bring out the flavor, but you can use it in most recipes that use zucchini.

 

[Melissa in Australia]

You can just boil and serve like potato 

Or you can boil with potato and mash together 

Or cut into serving size and roast 

Or use to make pumpkin scones

Or chop into small bits and chuck into stir fry

 

[Dianthus]

Cut them in half, seed and bake. Can mash and eat. Or make soup.

Or peel and cube the entire squash and roast with olive oil. Season and eat as side dish or serve cold on salads. My favorite result though I hate the peeling and cutting. They are so hard.

[Melissa in Australia]

Or use in pumpkin soup

Here in Australia we catogorise butternuts as a type of pumpkin. But I think we Aussies eat more pumpkin then people in North America. I mean as a normal vegetable. 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Melissa in Australia

[TechWife]

My favorite way-

cut them in half & scoop out the seeds. Put an oat of butter in each divot, sprinkle entire cut side with cinnamon to taste. Bake @ 350 degrees F until tender - usually 20 min or so depending on the size. Before eating you can brush the melted butter up along the neck if you want to. 

I had some Wonderful butternut squash ravioli at a restaurant once & keep meaning to hunt down a recipe. 

[saraha]

@Rosie_0801 consider yourself liked

[KungFuPanda]

I like it as a soup, cut into cubes and roasted, or in a pie like pumpkin. 

[ScoutTN]

36 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Use them like pumpkin.

This! Pie for breakfast! 

[Jaybee]

The Pioneer Woman has a recipe in one of her cookbooks that I like a lot, but I can't find it online. I usually use frozen butternut squash because it's easier than cutting up one and I don't have them fresh from the garden. Anyway, cube the squash and sauté it in butter. When it is tender, add kale, salt, pepper, and some chili powder, and put the top on the pot until the kale wilts. 

[ScoutTN]

We get a lot of butternut in our CSA box. I make pumpkin pie and pumpkin pancakes every week all winter. 
 

Roasted and cooled, it freezes fine, too. 

Edited October 11, 2023 by ScoutTN

[strawberries]

My favorite recipe involving butternut squash is veggie enchiladas: https://www.oliveandmango.com/vegetarian-black-bean-enchiladas/

[Laura Corin]

Bake them whole with smoked paprika. Squash soup with sage. This chilli is good too.

https://tomkerridge.com/recipes/black-bean-and-butternut-chilli/

[livetoread]

Those sound like Honeynut  - a close relative of Butternut. If so, consider yourself lucky! I think they taste better than Butternut and I like them best when I cut them in half, take out the seeds, and roast them cut side down on a sheet pan until slightly browned and tender. A little salt and pepper is all you need. I roast several at once and then save the flesh. So good.

Edited October 11, 2023 by livetoread

[catz]

Fall soup is so yummy with butternut, apples, carrots.  I’ve thrown in other veggies if I have them. 
 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/butternut-squash-and-apple-soup-recipe-1915002

[GoVanGogh]

https://heatherchristo.com/2020/11/02/arugula-roasted-autumn-vegetable-salad-crispy-baked-tofu/
 

I made this salad the other night. It was so good. Nice blend of flavors and textures.I did sub beans for the tofu. 

[KatieJ]

3 hours ago, saraha said:

When you bake them whole, do you mean you don’t take the seeds and pulp out til after? When I bake a pumpkin, I cut it on half, clean it out, then bake it

Correct. I bake them whole. They are soft and easy to deal with. 

[wisdomandtreasures]

Bake, puree, freeze in 2 c portions. Use in muffins or soups. 🙂

[knitgrl]

We really like this recipe:

https://www.food.com/recipe/hearty-and-quick-butternut-squash-soup-392850

[Grace Hopper]

Oooo I love butternut squash soup with a little sprinkle of crystallized ginger bits!

[kbutton]

Side question: what helped you like squash? DH will eat nearly anything (very short list of disklikes), and he hates squash. I do too. I did have some nearly edible butternut once that had been steamed with apple and then puréed (made it myself for one of my kids as a baby). My kids have never liked it past infancy either.

Is there a trick? 

 

[Drama Llama]

1 hour ago, kbutton said:

Side question: what helped you like squash? DH will eat nearly anything (very short list of disklikes), and he hates squash. I do too. I did have some nearly edible butternut once that had been steamed with apple and then puréed (made it myself for one of my kids as a baby). My kids have never liked it past infancy either.

Is there a trick? 

 

I only like squash when it's in a more savory preparation.  

If I was OP, I'd try this:

https://www.skinnytaste.com/stuffed-butternut-squash/

[Spryte]

This thread prompted me to make butternut squash tonight! Cubed it, tossed with olive oil, a bunch of garlic cloves, thyme and salt. Roasted till it almost looked carmelized. Yummy.

[Arcadia]

4 hours ago, kbutton said:

Side question: what helped you like squash?

We skip the thyme and the salt. My kids sprinkle cinnamon on their portions.

Roasted butternut squash halves https://www.rhubarbarians.com/wprm_print/2606

You could also cut the squash into fries and air fry them as an alternative to french fries

[saraha]

So cut open a few yesterday and roasted them plain in the oven. They came out almost like a purée in the shell, didn’t really brown or carmelize, but were very sweet!  We ate some plain as a side last night. Going to try some other recipes linked here. Not sure how savory will go because everyone that tried them last night said they were very sweet

[SquirrellyMama]

I like to use butternut squash in curry. I usually buy it already cubed and throw it in.

[Laura Corin]

21 hours ago, kbutton said:

Side question: what helped you like squash? DH will eat nearly anything (very short list of disklikes), and he hates squash. I do too. I did have some nearly edible butternut once that had been steamed with apple and then puréed (made it myself for one of my kids as a baby). My kids have never liked it past infancy either.

Is there a trick? 

 

Husband isn't keen on squash that has a mealy texture.  If you like zucchini, there are other squashes that have a similar texture.