Cooking butternut squash, with its hard, thick shell, can seem daunting. But it’s easy to prepare this orange-fleshed winter staple once you learn a few simple tips. Use butternut squash in soups and pasta dishes, or just serve it baked in its shell with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey.

What You'll Need to Cook Butternut Squash

Use butternut squash in soups and pasta dishes, or just serve it baked in its shell with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey. You'll need just a few additional ingredients: olive oil, salt and pepper.

First, Peel and Cut the Butternut Squash

1. Cut off both ends of the squash.

2. Peel the squash. Wearing an apron, hold the squash against your chest to keep it steady. With a vegetable peeler, remove the skin, working toward you.

3. Halve the squash. Place the squash on a cutting board. Hold the squash steady with one hand. With the other, use a large knife to halve the squash lengthwise. Set the squash halves on the cutting board, flesh-side up. Using a spoon (a serrated grapefruit spoon works well), scoop the seeds and pulp out of each squash half. At this point, you can cook whole squash halves if you'd like, or proceed to step 4 to dice.

4. Dice the squash. With a large, sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise. Cut each section in half, then in quarters, and dice it.

Now that you’ve broken down the squash, you can bake, microwave or roast it to use in recipes or to enjoy as a side dish.

How to Microwave Butternut Squash

1. Butter and season the squash. Fill the cavity of each squash half with a pat of butter, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with brown sugar or honey.

2. Use a microwave-safe plate. Then, lay the squash halves cut-side down on a piece of microwave-safe plastic wrap placed directly on a microwave-safe plate.

3. Cook the squash on high in 5-minute intervals. It's done when it's completely softened and cooked through, or about 10 minutes total. Your cook time will vary depending upon the size of your squash.

4. Finish in the oven until it's caramelized (optional). If you like a baked finish to your squash, place it in the oven at 350 degrees for another 5-10 minutes or until it’s caramelized.

How to Bake Butternut Squash Halves

1. Butter and season the squash. Place the butternut squash halves on a large baking sheet, flesh-side up. Then, season the cavities with salt and pepper, place a pat of butter in the middle of each squash half and sprinkle brown sugar or drizzle honey over it.

2. Roast in a 400 degrees F oven. Roast the squash for 25 minutes, or until the flesh is fork-tender.

How to Roast Chopped Butternut Squash

1. Prepare for Roasting. Now that you’ve broken down the squash, you can roast it to use in recipes or to enjoy as a side dish. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss the cubes in oil and season them. Place the squash cubes on a sheet pan and drizzle them with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss well. Make sure there's a little space around each cube so they caramelize properly.

3. Roast until fork tender. Roast the squash until it's tender, turning once with a a metal spatula, 25 to 30 minutes.

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