Grilling butternut squash elevates the vegetable to an all new high and makes eating healthy a joy.
If you have never had grilled butternut squash before then let me tell you, you don’t know what you’re missing – being grilled really brings out the sweetness of the butternut squash, and emphasizes that umami flavor, making it a fantastically filling treat.
Grilling this gourd might just be the easiest and most delicious way to prepare the vegetable; in addition, butternut squash is also deliciously nutritious, customizable in whatever way the consumer wants, allowing a broad spectrum of pairings when it comes to your favorite eats!
How to Grill Butternut Squash
Grilling butternut squash is easy to do and it tastes great. It might just become a celebrated part of your family meal rotations – I know it has in mine!
Get your grill top to medium-high, peeling and cutting off the ends of your squash, then slicing the gourd into ½ inch slices, using a spoon to deseed where applicable – brush your squash pieces with olive oil.
Mix together a blend of chili powder, cinnamon, salt, and sugar, then thoroughly sprinkle the mixture onto the squash, then roll on over to your grill top and put the vegetable pieces down to grill for 4 to 5 minutes a side.
To Peel or Not to Peel
Some squash skins are perfectly edible while others…
Not so much.
While butternut squash skin is edible, it's not fun at all to eat, as the skin is stringy and tough, and not terribly good tasting, even if some still eat it – not something I would recommend, though – as I said, the texture and flavor leave a lot to be desired, making my recommendation firmly on the side of peeling, putting those peels where they can do the most good – the compost!
Seasoning Ideas
If you want to get a little bit adventurous with seasoning your grilled butternut squash here are some excellent options for you.
- Sweet: Brown sugar, pine nuts, orange zest, and extra virgin olive oil gives the squash a sweet autumnal flavor you are sure to adore.
- Garlicky: Olive oil and garlic combine with the butternut squash to give it a fantastic umami flavor. You can use fresh but I recommend using garlic powder or garlic salt instead as it will be easier to distribute the flavor that way.
- Spicy: Add Cayenne pepper to the recipe to give the grilled squash a little bit of a kick. It also helps to enhance the gorgeous orange color of butternut squash.
- Flavor Adventure: Sprinkle with cumin, rosemary, and nutmeg to go on a flavor adventure that has an earth autumnal flavor with a little bit of a kick.
Serving Ideas for Grilled Squash
- An Argentinian Twist: Spread some chimichurri sauce, either store-bought or homemade. If you want to make it yourself, and it is incredibly easy to you can find a recipe for making your own chimichurri as part of this steak recipe.
- Sweet Treat: Top your grilled butternut squash with maple syrup and pecans to turn them into a bit of a sweet treat.
- Grilled Butternut Squash Soup: While most butternut squash soup recipes call for roasted squash you can do with grilled butternut squash too! Add the grilled squash to 3 cups of broth, half a cup of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of sauteed shallots, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 tsp of nutmeg, 2 tsp of maple syrup then blend it with an immersion blender.
How to Shop for Butternut Squash
If you aren’t familiar with butternut squash you might find yourself in the vegetable section, staring at the squash without a clue of which one to get.
Do you tap on it like a watermelon? Maybe give it a gentle squeeze like a cucumber?
Turns out, it’s actually much easier than both of those – just look for squash with a thick neck and a small bulb. Doing this will make sure you get more of the meat of the squash and fewer seeds. You should also hold it to see if it feels heavier than it looks.
How to Store Butternut Squash
When you bring your squash home, you may be tempted to put it in the fridge, but hold off. A whole squash will keep for a month or more if you keep it in a dark cool place; the fridge is a bit too cold, but a cupboard is the perfect spot.
If you’ve peeled or cut up your butternut squash then it should be stored in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. Be sure to use it in the next five days though because it will go off pretty quickly compared to if you had left it untouched!
More Grilled Vegetable Recipes
- Garlic Grilled Broccoli
- Grilled Green Beans
- Grilled Peppers
- Garlic Grilled Zucchini
- Grilled Potatoes
Other Butternut Squash Recipes
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Turkey and Butternut Squash Chili
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos
- Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash