This savory butternut squash tastes like a million bucks, thanks to the garlic butter and Parmesan cheese. Check all my tips and you’ll soon add this recipe to your side dish rotation.
Savory Butternut Squash Recipe
I first got hooked on roasting squash when I made my roasted chicken and vegetable salad. The caramelized edges give the butternut squash a savory-sweet flavor that steaming can't and make any meal or dish even better.
From there, I've roasted beets, frozen vegetables, and fingerling potatoes, but this recipe is in a league of its own. By mixing garlic with butter and then adding Parmesan cheese, you make the squash even more flavorful with little effort.
What You Need
You can cut a whole butternut squash as explained below or purchase pre-cut squash cubes from the produce section of your grocery store to save time. You’ll make it super tasty with garlic cloves, melted butter, salt, pepper, fresh parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese.
How to Roast Savory Butternut Squash
Making roasted butternut squash is simple. Here’s everything you need to do:
- Season.
While the oven preheats, combine the butternut squash cubes with garlic, butter, and seasonings. - Roast for 40 minutes until golden and tender.
If you love roasted vegetables with crispy, golden brown edges, use a baking sheet. It gives them enough room to be spaced out. Using a baking dish creates a steaming effect that makes the vegetables a little softer but still flavorful. - Add cheese.
Butternut squash is done when the center of each piece is fork-tender, and the edges have a bronzed color. That is when it is time to remove them from the oven and add grated Parmesan cheese. Bake another 5 minutes to melt it.
Laura’s Tips for Prepping Butternut Squash
Remove about ¼-inch off the base and stem of the squash. Make a small slice on one side, so it lies flat. It's much easier and safer to cut this way.
Then, you can use a vegetable peeler, remove the tough skin from the squash, and discard.
Stand the squash upright, making sure it doesn't wobble on the cutting board. Using the knife, start at the top center and slice straight through to the bottom. Work as slowly as needed.
Scoop the stringy pulp and seeds out of each half with a large spoon and discard them.
Lay the cleaned squash halves, cut side down, onto the cutting board, and slice into sections. I like to half them width-wise, which separates the long neck from the wider bottom.
Once you have the squash cut into sections, slice each section lengthwise, then slice crosswise to make ½-inch cubes.
What to Serve with Savory Butternut Squash
You can serve this side with your favorite chicken dinner or a sheet pan meal since you’re already using the oven. Some family-favorite recipes are Melt in Your Mouth Chicken, slow cooker Cajun roast, honey chicken drumsticks, Dijon pork tenderloin, and over a Winter salad.
Can’t get enough butternut squash in your life this time of year? Try my roasted butternut squash soup next.
Savory Butternut Squash with Garlic & Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss the squash cubes with the garlic, melted butter, salt, pepper, and parsley. Transfer to a baking sheet and spread out the cubes in a single even layer.
Bake:
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and roast for 40 minutes or until the surface becomes light brown and the flesh is tender and soft. Turn off the heat and remove from the oven.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and place the baking sheet of squash back into the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.
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Somer says
I made this twice already! me and my husband love this dish. I put my own twist to it by adding a some italian seasoning and veggie delight seasoning. thank you for this dish!
Laura Fuentes says
thank you for sharing how much you’ve enjoyed it!
Todd says
My wife’s loves squash. She had bought Butternut for our Sunday dinner. However, she was exhausted after a long week and fell asleep. Knowing my daughter, her husband and children were coming over, and that she would wake up stressed about getting the squash made in time, I found and cooked using this recipe. I am not a squash fan, and I loved the savory flavor. Even better, my wife also loved it and was so grateful that she didn’t have to make it! I was forgiven for all my mistakes this year by making one fantastic dish! If a non-cooking husband can make this delicious squash on the fly, anyone can! Now I just have to figure out how to save myself next year.
Todd says
Clarification needed in my post:
-My wife, not “wife’s”
-Our daughter, not “my” daughter.
Both errors that would quickly get me in serious hot water!
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for coming back and sharing how much you and your family have enjoyed this savory butternut squash recipe! -and the clarifications in the other comment so you don’t get in trouble!
Juli says
I was getting tired of the same old roasted vegetable recipes made with olive oil and seasonings and found this one and decided to try it. I followed the recipe exactly as written, except I used dried parsley (it’s what I had on hand) and added a teaspoon of dried thyme to the seasonings. My husband (who loves oven-roasted vegetables), told me that this was the best butternut squash he’d ever tasted! The butter added a dimension of flavor not found in oil. This will be on a regular rotation in our home from now on!
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you, Juli for sharing how much you enjoyed this savory butter squash recipe!