Do you ever eat winter squash? I learned something about myself a long time ago; I rarely made winter squash, because they were so hard to cut. Then one day I read something about roasting squash whole. It has made a world of difference – it has made it possible to add winter squash to our diet on a regular basis.

Why would you want to consider adding winter squash to your menus? I could tell you that in a few words – winter squash is very nourishing, it’s very nutrient dense; that is, it has lots of nutrients for the amount of energy/calories.

One interesting fact that I learned about 10 years ago is: if you live where the weather is cold in the winter (not southern California where I’m from), you can keep a winter squash cold and dry; it will last for months after its fall harvest. The little squash that I harvested in September had a wonderful flavor in January after being roasted.

You can cut it into chunks for recipes and freeze it; or you can puree it for soups. Or you can add a little salt, and butter and eat it like a serving of extra nutritious mashed potatoes.

However and how often your sup from this wonderfully nutritious and tasty harvest from someone’s fall garden, remember, “Good Health Can Be Yummy.”

Roasted Winter Squash

By Joyce Bunderson Published: July 23, 2010

Do you ever eat winter squash? I learned something about myself a long time ago; I rarely made winter squash, because they were so …

Ingredients

• 1 winter squash

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
   
2. Wash the winter squash outside. With a knife, stick a few holes in about an inch.
   
3. Put on a cookie sheet with sides, if it’s large; or in a baking dish if it’s small. Bake at 375°F, until it yields to gentle pressure with your baking mitt covered hand. Let it cool for a few minutes
   
4. then cut it in half. (A difficult and even risky cutting job with a rock-hard raw squash is now easy as cutting a big baked potato.) Scoop out the seeds and discard.
   
5. Scoop out the flesh, and put it into a bowl, then serve.
   

• Course: Side Dish
• Skill Level: Easy