How to Roast Squash

Squash is a wonderful vegetable with many flavorful varieties. But if you're tired of eating it raw with dip, or tossing it in linguine, then why not try roasting it? With just a few simple ingredients you can roast squash in no time. Here's a recipe.

Things You'll Need

• Butcher knife
• Paring knife
• Baking sheet
• Non-stick spray
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly cracked)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Peel your squash using a paring knife if the squash skin is soft. If the skin is tough, take a butcher knife and hack into it on a cutting board. Once the squash is opened or peeled, remove and discard any seeds, and then cut the "meat" of the squash into 1-inch cubes.

3. Spray the baking sheet with a non-stick spray and arrange the squash in a single layer.

4. Drizzle squash with enough olive oil to cover them. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Pop the sheet in the oven for 40 minutes and you are done. You can add the roasted squash to your salads, or simply serve as a side dish.

Tips & Warnings

• Thicker skinned squashes are more dense once you get to the "meat" of them. This means their water content is lower, therefore they take longer to roast as the sugars in the squash break down. If you are roasting yellow, green or zucchini style squash, cut the cooking time to 20 minutes. Roast hard-skinned squashes together and soft-skinned squashes together.

Resources

• This site has a fantastic article on squash.
• Another great site for squash.