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Use a Roasted Whole Butternut Squash to make 3 healthy butternut squash recipes! No waste and totally creamy, rich, and delicious! From the best-roasted butternut squash carrot soup to toasted butternut squash seeds that taste like popcorn. 3 of my best butternut squash recipes in 1 post and you’ll want to make them over and over again!
Table of Contents
- Roasted Whole Butternut Squash (From soup to snacks. No waste!)
- Ways To Use A Whole Butternut Squash
- What is the easiest way to cut a butternut squash?
- How To Make The Best Butternut Squash Carrot Soup
- How to peel butternut squash
- Is it safe to eat butternut squash seeds?
- More Soup Recipes To Warm Your Soul
- Want to avoid the mistakes I made when I first learn how to cut a whole butternut squash?
- Roasted Whole Butternut Squash Recipes (from soup to snack)
- More Pumpkin and Squash Recipes You’ll Love
Roasted Whole Butternut Squash (From soup to snacks. No waste!)
There’s a reason I love fall. Besides the temperature gets cooler, I love seeing dishes made with fall/winter squashes like pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn, or kabocha. Perhaps it’s because fall signals that holiday season is not too far away or perhaps I love the sweet and creamy flavor from the squash, either way fall holds a special place in my heart. 🙂
I often feel intimidated buying a whole butternut squash, mainly because I don’t know what to do with a whole entire squash so this year I decided to do a little more research to find out the best way to use a whole butternut squash, including the seeds inside. Because homemade roasted whole butternut squash makes the sweetest and most flavorful dishes and I couldn’t resist the temptations of giving the squash seeds a try. Friends have been telling me that fresh roasted squash seeds (or pumpkin seeds) are super delicious.
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Ways To Use A Whole Butternut Squash
The best way to use a whole butternut squash is to roast them. You can make cinnamon roasted butternut squash cubes, healthy butternut squash carrot soup, and crunchy roasted butternut squash seeds that taste like popcorn. 🙂
In my opinion the neck part of the butternut squash (the long tube/cylinder shape) makes the best cinnamon roasted butternut squash cubes because the texture of the squash is more firm so it makes the best roasted squash.
The body part (the round shape with seeds inside) is the softest and most moist section and it makes the best roasted whole butternut squash. After removing the seeds, season the squash with little salt and pepper. It make the sweetest and the most flavorful healthy butternut squash soup.
For the seeds, this is probably the most surprising part I admit that I didn’t expect they would be SO GOOD! After you rinse clean and pat dry the seeds, simply season with salt and lightly coat them with olive oil. A quick roast and toss with loads of nutritional yeast, they taste just like popcorn! They make the best Whole30 snacks, people!
What is the easiest way to cut a butternut squash?
- Place a damp paper towel under the cutting board so it won’t move around. Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut off both ends by slowly wiggle it down.
- Make an incision cut between the neck (the tube shape) and the round body to separate the two.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of the neck part. Leave the round body part skin-on.
- Halve the neck part lengthwise and the halve round parts in half.
- For the neck part, dice it roughly 1-inch cubes.
- For the round part, scoop out the seeds and save them for roasted squash seeds!
How To Make The Best Butternut Squash Carrot Soup
Fresh whole butternut squash makes the best butternut squash carrot soup. Also the body (the round shape) part of the butternut squash makes the best sweetest and creamiest flavor. Roast with the skin one (and with seeds removed) with diced carrots for extra creamy sweet flavor!
How to peel butternut squash
The easiest way to peel a butternut squash is by using a vegetable peeler. The neck part (long tube shape) is the easiest to peel because of the long straight lines. The body part (round shape) is harder because of the curve. For that particular part, halve the body and leave the skin on. Roasting will be the easiest way to remove the skin.
Is it safe to eat butternut squash seeds?
Yes. Not only are butternut squash seeds safe to eat but also they have nutritional value. Simply rinse well the seeds, pat dry, and season with salt and olive oil. You can either roast them in the oven or in the air fryer. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and the roasted butternut squash seeds taste just like popcorn! They make the perfect Whole30 snacks!
More Soup Recipes To Warm Your Soul
- Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
- Wonton Soup With Gluten-Free Wontons
- Creamy Chicken Kale Soup
- Chicken Pho Soup
- Beef Brisket Pho
- Egg Drop Soup
- Keto Egg Drop Soup
- Chicken Meatball Soup
- healthy soups and bone broth recipes
Want to avoid the mistakes I made when I first learn how to cut a whole butternut squash?
Check out the video. It’ll save you a TON of time!
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Roasted Whole Butternut Squash Recipes (from soup to snack)
Video
Ingredients
For the roasted butternut squash carrot soup:
- 1.5 – 2 lbs butternut squash seeded and halved from the round shape body part of a whole squash
- 10-12 oz. carrots about 2 medium size
- 4 oz. yellow onion about 1 small-medium size
- Coarse sea salt ground black pepper, and olive oil,
- 1-1.5 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 0.5 oz. clove garlic about 2 large cloves, sliced
- 14 oz. coconut milk cream or only use the cream part of canned full fat coconut milk
- ½ to 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock optional for thinner texture
For the cinnamon roasted butternut squash cubes (from my cookbook Asian Paleo):
- 1-1.25 lbs butternut squash peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks from the neck part of a whole squash
- Olive oil
- Coarse sea salt to taste
- Ground cinnamon powder to taste
For the roasted butternut squash seeds:
- 1/4-1/2 cup fresh butternut squash seeds taken from a whole butternut squash
- ¼ tsp coarse sea salt plus more to taste
- 1-2 tsp olive oil
- Nutritional yeast sprinkle, as much as you like
Instructions
For the soup:
- Preheat oven to 400Cut the body part (the round shapof a whole butternut squash in half. Leave the skin on and scoop out the seeds. Roughly dice the carrots and slice the onion in half. You can choose to leave the onion skin on and peel it after roasting or peel the skin first before roasting.
- In a large sheet pan lined with parchment, sprinkle salt and pepper over the inner cavity (orange flesof the squash and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands to rub the olive all over the cavity. Place them cut side down.
- In a second large sheet pan lined with parchment, lightly sprinkle salt, pepper, and olive oil over carrots and onions.
- Roast the squash for 40 minutes total over the lower rack. Roast the carrots and onion for 20 minutes total over the medium rack.
- In the meantime, saute ginger and garlic with olive oil and a small pinch of salt until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Once out of the oven and cool enough to touch, scoop out the butternut squash flesh and discard the skin. Add the squash to a high speed blender, along with the carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, and coconut cream. Use the soup function and blend until creamy smooth. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if you like. For thinner texture, add more stock and blend again.
For the cinnamon squash cubes:
- Pre-heat oven to 400Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil, season with coarse sea salt to taste. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon powder. Toss and coat well.
- Distribute the squash in one layer and roast for 20-25 minutes, until they are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store extra in food glassware container in the fridge. Best finish in 2-3 days.
For the roasted butternut squash seeds:
- Rinse the squash seeds clean and pad dry with a paper towel. Line a sheet pan with parchment and season the seeds with salt and toss with olive oil. Spread them in one single layer. For air fryer, roast at 350F for 15 minutes total. Remember to toss the basket at half-time point (roughly after 7 minutes).
- For oven, roast at 325F (or 300F for convection ovefor about 18 minutes total. Fluff at half-time point. The seeds should be crunchy and golden brown but not burnt. Add 2 more minutes for even crunchier texture. Once out of the oven and while still hot, sprinkle with nutritional yeast and season with more salt if you like!
Notes
- If you don’t have a high speed blender, alternatively, add the roasted vegetables and milk cream to a large heavy bottomed soup pot. Puree with a handheld blender until creamy smooth. Thin with more stock if you like.
- Pro tip – Make two dishes at once!
You can make the soup and the cinnamon roasted squash at the same time. Season the squash cubes and add them to the second sheet pan with carrots and onions. The roasting time and temperature are the same – 400F for 20 minutes total. - Storage tips: Store the soup (once cool and no longer piping hot) into individual and freezer friendly containers for up to 3 months. Defrost a night before in the fridge. Reheat over stovetop or microwave.
- Tips for squash seeds: Just like popcorn, they taste the best once fresh hot out of the oven.
- Disclaimer: In the photos, I sprinkled the seeds over the soup. If you do so, I recommend that you eat them right away or the seeds will become fibrous and hard to chewy. In my opinion, the seeds are best enjoyed as a side snack.
- The nutritional label is calculated for soup only without the toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely delicious! I already had cut up butternut squash so I used that and roasted the onion and carrots with the cut up squash all together at the same time. One substitute I used was chicken bone broth for the stock. Ten out of 10! Healthy and so so good!!!
Thank you so much, Mary Anne!
Delish…and super easy to make! Will definitely make again and again!
That’s awesome. We love this roasted butternut squash soup, too!
Delicious! This is one of our favorite fall and winter dinners!
Just got 5 pumpkins and was wondering what to do with them. This came in at the right time
I love all things butternut squash in the fall – I can not wait to try your delicious looking soup recipe!
How cool that you used the whole squash! And this looks sooo tasty.
I love butternut squash and I’m so excited for all your ideas here! That soup is exactly how I like to start my mornings – creamy, comforting and nourishing.
I just bought butternut squash (so happy the fall produce is coming in now) and so happy I found your recipe! Will give this a try! Your photos are beautiful!
I adore roasted squash seeds!!! Thanks for a great tutorial!
That soup looks amazing!! Excited to try it