Before we get to this roasted squash, I must tell you – this is not actually Indian roasted butternut squash as I call it in the title of this post. It’s actually curried butternut squash, made with a spice blend reminiscent of Indian flavors but not actually Indian. Curry powder is a bit complicated, I know. That’s why I wrote an entire post about it if you want to check that out. Basically curry powder is a British invention.
If you’re cutting a whole butternut squash, be prepared to work out those finger muscles – peeling them is… tricky. While the sweet buttery treasure inside these little squashes is worth the effort, thankfully it’s easy to find pre-cut squash in stores these days.
If you do plan to cut it yourself, the secret (it’s not so much a secret as it is common sense) is to cut off both ends of the squash. This allows you to stand it up, which makes it easier to cut in half lengthwise. This trick works with all round fruits and vegetables (watermelon, other squash… and well, that’s all I can think of at the moment).
To make life even easier, before you slice the squash in half lengthwise – first chop the squash into two pieces: skinny neck part and the bulb:
Then, slice the squash open and remove the seedy stuff inside. Use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel away all of the skin before you dice the squash into cute little cubes.
Put your little cubes of squash in a bowl and then add oil, salt, pepper and curry powder. Curry powder is a great ingredient to have on hand because it’s basically a pre-made spice mix that you can toss on whatever. I use it with veggies all the time when I’m trying to make a quick and tasty side dish. It’s also my go-to spice when I’m making fish on a weeknight. Just toss some fish in olive oil and curry powder and pan-fry.
Curry powder includes spices like coriander, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, etc. It’s a great savory and slightly spicy contrast to this sweet squash.
Once you have the squash nicely bathed in oil and spices, the only thing that’s left is to roast it, which will help bring out the sweet and nutty flavor in the squash.
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large butternut squash approx. 2 pounds
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons curry powder adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven on convection setting to 425F.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. (you can see details/pics of how to cut squash above).
- Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler.
- Cut the squash into cubes and toss with oil and spices.
- Bake in the oven 40 -50 minutes, stirring the squash at the halfway mark.
Dian says
Thanks for sharing your experiences with foods. I meant to buy spaghetti squash, but, I forget which squash was which and brought home the butternut. Took me a awhile ( a couple of days looking at itto figure out my mistake). So thank you for so many interesting recipes to try