Butternut squash

How to store Butternut squash

Squash love being warm and dry, so enjoy its decorative qualities and store it on a kitchen shelf. It should last several weeks like this. Once cut, keep it in the fridge.

Prep & Cooking tips

The skin is edible and can be left on if roasted in wedges, although it is often best removed. It is easily attacked with a good peeler. Best peeled whole and then split in half. Remove the seeds with a large spoon and chop, slice or dice to your needs.

The size is handy for small families and meals for two with little or no waste.

Chopped into chunks it will roast in a medium oven in 20-30 mins. Makes a sturdy base for a soup or a stable mash/purée to stir through risottos. The flesh holds its shape well, making it ideal to add into stews, bakes and curries as it will not disintegrate easily.

Easy ideas

1. Roasted

Surely the most common treatment for a squash, peeled and cut into chunks or curved wedges. Cooking times will vary from about 20-40 mins in a hot oven. A little chilli, spice or herbs would be welcome in the final 5 mins. They are done when they give to a firm pinch from a pair of tongs. They can be eaten hot as a side or cooled and made into a salad, maybe with some toasted nuts, red onion and sheep’s cheese.

2. Braised

Squash like to cook in a liquid environment, be it a fragrant broth or lightly spiced tagine. They can be added in chunks to a slow braised stew for the final 30 mins to bring a hearty sweetness to a dish and will carry strong curry spices with broad shoulders. The flesh is dense, firm and will hold its shape well.

3. Stuffed

Cut in half lengthways and remove the soft, seedy core with a large spoon. Fill the cavity with a tasty pulse, grain or meat based stuffing, then bake until the squash is tender. It is best if the stuffing contains a reasonable amount of moisture for tender results – a left over Bolognese-style sauce works well.