There are soup recipes all over the place but I think it's far too good a veggie to make into soup. It's not mushy and horrid like a pumpkin. It's also pretty much a staple for vegetarians. It makes great pies, tarts, roasted, a purée ( lovely with pork). Here's a list of recipes to whet your appetite. https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/collection/best-ever-butternut-squash-recipes/

I like to peel it using a new and sharp Y peeler. I cut it in half, scrape out the seeds, cut it into similar sized chunks and simmer it till tender in a half inch salted water, covered. When it is tender when pierced with a sharp knife, I drain it well, season it with butter, salt and pepper, and whip it with a fork till it is evenly mashed. I like to season it with a dash or two of cinnamon too. Voila, a nice side dish for dinner.

If I want puree for pies, soup, scones or the like, I just halve it, scoop out the seeds and place it cut face side down on an oiled tray and bake it in the oven until soft. Then you can scoop the cooked flesh out of the skin and it’s not watery as it can be if microwaved or boiled. It also has a touch of caramelisation going which gives it even more depth of flavour.

Otherwise I peel it and cut it into chunks or slices, tumble the pieces in a large bowl with a little oil and roast them in the oven as a side dish with other roasted vegetables for roasts.

Edited to add: I often freeze the puree in 1 cup batches so I can pull it out and make a pie (it makes excellent pumpkin pie) or scones or whatever when I want. Canned pumpkin is not a thing here and I like the added caramelisation anyway. It's pretty low effort.

It can also be cut into smallish chunks and oven roasted or sauteed in a heavy skillet. I like to toss it with olive oil, kosher salt and Aleppo pepper. Leftovers are great added to a green salad. I think butternut is the best of all the winter squashes.

I most often oven roast butternut. Peel it, seed it, chunk it up, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast at 430 degrees ~30-45 minutes (varies depending on big the chunks are).

I also like these recipes:

* Butternut Squash Bread: Butternut Squash Bread - Boston Girl Bakes

* Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagna: Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne Recipe | Epicurious When I make this, I 1.5-2x the squash filling and double the sage in it. I also up to 2 cloves garlic and 2 bay leaves in the sauce.

* Pasta with Butternut Squash and Thyme Cream Sauce: Fresh Pappardelle Pasta with Butternut Squash (greatist.com) For this one, I substitute toasted hazelnuts for the optional amaretti cookies and don't make my own pasta, I just cook 12 oz dried pasta.

Butternut risotto is also pretty good.

Cut in half lengthwise, peel halves and scoop out seeds, lay cut side down and cut into 3/4 inch slices lay the slices slightly overlapping with a slice of onion between each on a cookie sheet, salt and pepper and drizzle with a little melted butter and bake 375 about 35 to 40 minutes until very soft and the edges are browned.

You might check both Ina Garten and Half Baked Harvest for recipes that might appeal. I can vouch for Ina’s soup.

I live on the other side of the world from Islay, and our pumpkins aren't mushy and horrid. I love them best! That's not to say that butternut isn't nice too, but they're a bother, and, here at least, they're really sweet, making me wonder about all the sugary things people do with them in savory dishes. I'm in the roast with a little oil camp. Excellent with sliced and roasted onions, too. Butternut also works well in fillings for pastries, sweet or savory. Just make sure the flesh isn't too watery, And it makes a nice ice cream, too, but I haven't made that myself.

Watch out for the sap! Like a number of other fruits, butternut has this substance that adheres to your hands when it's cut or peeled and feels like a plastic coating which doesn't wash off. A lot of people get conact dermatitis from it, which usually resolves quickly. There are various home remedies, whether it's dried sap or a skin reaction, ranging from alcohol to oil, and someone on Reddit said coffee grounds. I think there's an old thread here about this. I don't remember what I've used; I've been sticking with pumpkins. Most squashes have the same sap, but not in the same quantity.

"Watch out for the sap! Like a number of other fruits, butternut has this substance that adheres to your hands when it's cut or peeled and feels like a plastic coating which doesn't wash off. A lot of people get conact dermatitis from it, which usually resolves quickly."

Oh, yea...I can vouch for that. I always wear nitrile gloves when peeling butternut or my hands will break out.

I just went to our local farmer’s market. They were having some kind of harvest festival. There was a curry stew with butternut, lentils and chicken. I tend to like winter squash with curry anyway but this was particularly yummy.

A couple more options.

https://vikalinka.com/butternut-squash-dauphinoise/

https://vikalinka.com/butternut-squash-ravioli-sauce/

Roasted, mashed, in soup. It's so incredibly versatile.

I will say, it was my winter favorite until I discovered Honey Nut.

Last week I tried this tart. https://www.prouditaliancook.com/2023/09/butternut-squash-ricotta-tart-with-puff-pastry.html

This is also pretty good. https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/butternut-squash-and-caramelized-onion-galette/

And on my to-try list is this recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyMplCbO96p/

I don't have time to read all the comments above, so someone may have already mentioned that Butternut Squash makes a wonderful squash pie.

Besides butternut, my other go-to is Kabocha, which we call Kent (used to call it Jap.) pumpkin.

cubes of butternut squash in a cast iron skillet with butter, a hint of brown sugar, salt and nutmeg ... with ground sausage is a nice twist.

or if you have an IP ... cubed, a minimal amt of water and three minutes [quicker than rice]

it also freezes well. peel it, cut into cubes, par boil for two minutes and freeze for later. save the seeds and roast them in the oven ... wonderful.

Lucky you! BNS is an autumn and winter favourite in our house. For a side dish I generally roast it, often in a mix with other vegetables like carrots, parsnips, sweet potato etc. As a main course this risotto is delicious. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/butternut-squash-sage-risotto

Butternut sap? I've been growing and cooking with butternuts for almost 60 years and I've never even heard of it!

I agree with Laceyvail. No sap on European butternuts either! They're not sweet either. That's what I meant when I said pumpkins are horrid. I can't think of any other veggie that is universally wasted by being carved into ghoulish faces and discarded LOL. It's the best thing to do with a pumpkin whereas a BNS is delicious. The skin is very thin and you don't have to peel them.

I have never held a thin skinned butternut! Haven't even heard of one until now. We get thick and totally hard like on a turban squash. The kind that break knives. I use my father's old scimitar knife, which is meant to hack bones. I've had decorative gourds with thinner, softer skins. Check out ”squash hands” for more on the sap. It's supposed to be defensive, and form scabs over damage to keep out bugs. Yep, liquid scab is a great name for it. Ugh!

You got so many good recommendations! Personally, I dont think that it makes a good soup because it has an inherent sweetnes to it that I dont find pleasant in soup

But it is nice for so many other things!

Last season I had my last one that I bought from the farm and I made something so wonderful from it that I wished it was not the end of the season. NOw I cant remember what that was! I made a note to myself to buy a couple exrta before the farm closes for the winter, but now cant remember what was so good! I think it had something to do with raviolis or perogies. Just gonna buy a few extra this year.

I think it is too wonderful to use for pies. Most squash custard pies just taste about the same. The squash basically serves simply as a vehicle for the sugar and spice. But butternut has so many other nice uses.

I have read that the "pumpkin" in the can is not actually what most of us know as a pumpkin. Rather it is a hubbard squash. The squash, apparently, has a more uniformly denser meat than do most varieties of " pumpkins". If you have ever tried to render one of those halloween pumpkins into a pie, you know how much water can be in there. Even a "pie pumpkin" can have a lot of water compared to another type of squash.

judi, that smitten kitchen recipe looks wonderful! I have bookmarked it!

Lucky you!

I use butternut and other winter squashes in a couple of soups/stews, and I prefer it chunky, but the simplest way I like to cook it is baked with just butter and sprigs of fresh rosemary - I do either halves, with the butter & rosemary in the cavity, or peeled and cut in chunks, then dotted with butter and a couple of sprigs of rosemary, baked @ around 375F until nice and soft and a tiny bit caramelized. S&P added afterward to taste, and maybe a drizzle of honey, if I want it sweeter.

The leftovers can be used in other dishes - rosemary can go either sweet or savory, IMO.

Butternut is thin skinned and the skin is edible, but I always peel it for my applications.

Its sweeter, more delicious, cousin Honeynut I roast with skin on and often eat the skin.

@olychick - Both your links are taking me tk the buns, could you check the stuffed squash link?

IMPE, butternut skins are not pleasant to eat, and there are often hard strings underneath the skin as well - perhaps it depends on variety?

@foodonastump Thanks for letting me know. I corrected the link.

Cooked one last night. I cubed it and roasted it with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until cooked. Then in another pan I cooked a couple of shallots with some lardons. I removed half the squash for another dish, added the lardons, onions and a leftover duck leg, shredded. I added left over sauce form the duck, then topped with a savoury crumble..... a little butter, flour, oats, parmesan and seasoning and baked til the topping was cooked.

I am 87....beeen cooking butternuts everal times a year for about 65 years and never experienced any sticky or irritating sap....and I am subject to contact dermatitis from many many things. But not squash!

And squash, gourds, pumpkins....whatever you want to call them of the species curcubita pepo will cross pollinate.

I have a friend who used to plant an acrew ith a variety of cucurbita pepo varieties and give them away....including Hubbard,butter nut,delicata, acorn, several types of pumpkin including the Cinderella variety and something called a "red warty thing" which was delicious! Some he grew like Marina del chioggia were a different species C. Maxima I think....and sweeter and bumpier than the others.

From what i know, everyone doesnt' get irritation from butternut, only those who are allergic to the sap do.....

I concur on the lack of sap in BNS. Never seen it in the ones I get. But Tromboncino is a real oozer. If the sap gets on the counter and dries it needs to be scraped or scrubbed off. But it doesn't irritate my skin.

I've encountered the 'sap' many times - maybe it depends on how fresh the squash is? IMPE, it's clear liquid that oozes out from the cut flesh and dries to a sort of clear flaky coating on my hands that needs to be scrubbed off - not irritating to my skin tho.

I'm wondering if it's different growing conditions.

The ones I get are locally grown and I start buying them when they come into season in September and stop in the spring. I've honestly never experienced the sap issue. That's why I was surprised to find tromboncinos dripping copiously. They were also grown locally and freshly picked but I hadn't tried them before this year.

A lady I know was telling lme she roasted hers at the weekend and added feta cheese and chorizo at the end. Said it was so good she ate it with a spoon!

Well, Carol and I both live in warm climates and buy organic. I wonder if there's a hardier version that grows better organically, with tough skins and more sap? From what I've read, most if not all melon/squash type fruits have the same kind of sap but most aren't noticeable by the time they're in your hands. I think I encountered it once in a zucchini, but not outrageous like with butternut. I had to remove the skins raw from a couple of butternuts for a recipe, and while I didn't get the dermatitis, my palms were coated with layers of this impenetrable, insoluble gunk that dries and hardens like resin, and shrinks and hurts while shrinking. I don't remember what I used to get rid of it. I think it was something suggested on the 'net. Vodka maybe? I have VOC's in my art supplies, like thinner and turps, and that might have been the answer... I have a vague memory of opening the thinner tin for something (I'm allergic, so it's rare, and done outside), but I don't know if that was about the butternut.

Since then, I've tried a recipe that specifically required butternut and bought the pre-prepped cubes, or I just whack a whole butternut open with the heavy knife and cook it in the shell. Otherwise, I use other Winter squashes. For a great many years prior, I just used kabocha if I wanted winter squash, and I don't remember what the butternut of my youth were like. Acorn is a good substitute, and plentiful. My favorite is red puri, but that's not ubiquitous. And I load up on pumpkins in October before they're gone, because the ones I get are delightful!

It's really strange as UK websites don't mention sap/sticky substances/staining..... only on US ones so I'm guessing we have different varieties, or it's growing conditions..... I've never had a sappy one for which I'm very grateful LOL. It sounds nasty.

I'm going to order one in my veg box. It'll be here tomorrow. I'll report back!

Try cutting and letting it stand for a few minutes...

I will. But I've cooked and prepared BNS for years and since I rarely use a whole one there's always chunk with a cut end sitting around.

This is a tromboncino I cut this evening. It wept immediately. I will be getting a BNS tomorrow and will cut it to see.

The results are in....

20 minutes later. Dry. No sap.

Some of it is roasting in the oven right now. I've just checked the left over part. 1.5 hours after it was cut. Still dry. Feels like sweet potato or carrot.

Interestihg results. In my experience, the sap comes out with cutting and peeling, not so much on resting. The skin on yours is visibly different, definitely thinner. I've also seen pictures of that shape, but the ones we get here have a long cylindrical "neck" and a squat, bulging, base. Yours is nearly so funny looking. :)

This one is a bit squatter than they usually are. They do tend to be a bit longer. But not much. I peeled and cubed enough for two. Still no sap.

This is a photo from a local supermarket:

Like us, they come in different shapes and sizes LOL

The irritation to the skin comes from peeling the squash, not cutting into the flesh once peeled. That's been my experience, anyway.

I usually don't get any noticeable sap when cutting, maybe just a hint, but my butternuts are cured before storage, IDK if that makes any difference. But peeling that darn skin is a different story -- IDK what makes my hands break out, sap or another compound in the skin, but it can get nasty if I don't wear gloves when peeling.

I do think curing must be a factor. I've grown sweet potatoes too, and cutting into them soon after harvest, they ooze a white sap.

If I'm going to cube the BNS I peel after slicing into rounds then half moons using a small paring knife. Never had any reaction. For a half one to stuff I leave the skin on.

I seldom get the sap with butternut, but I did with the latest one I roasted. I always get it from zucchini, and never noticed it with butternut until this last one. I scrubbed it off with a fingernail brush and dish soap, and it came off relatively well.

I grow lots of butternut, they are my favorite. I have 4 milk crates full in my storage right now, about 40 squash. Last year some lasted until Easter, so they keep well. I don't even try to eat the peel, the texture is just too problematic for me. I don't like the peel on Delicata either, although others don't seem to mind.

I use butternut for a lot of things, from pies, dinner rolls and scones to muffins and soups, roasted and pureed and pan fried like hash. It's very versatile.

Annie

I always felt the sap on the squash but , somehow, never really thought much about it . But it is true, it does leave a residue on your hands.

I cut my BNS into cubes, a bit smaller than one inch. I place them in a buttered Corningwware casserole dish and add lots of butter and cinnamon to the top and microwave it several minutes at a time, stirring in between. Light s&p. Tender and moist.