Roast This Veggie Twice For Tender, Flavorful Results Everytime

Roasting is a great way to cook all kinds of vegetables, especially those that thrive in the cooler months. It helps bring out the sugars, adding a pleasant sweetness and attractive caramelization, as well as creating a buttery texture even on the hardest of roots. Parsnips, carrots, beets, celeriac, and Brussels sprouts are fantastic when roasted, as are the harder winter squashes. But have you ever struggled trying to cut up that pumpkin for a pie or fought against an acorn squash that you'd like to stuff? You're not alone. That's why we bring you this super cool hack which will make it so much easier. Roast the squash whole first until it softens enough to cut, then season it and roast it again after it's cut. 

This system works especially well with large squashes such as pumpkin or kabocha, which are particularly tough to cut through, but it will work for any and all hard winter squashes. Wash the squash thoroughly and pat it dry before rubbing it all around with olive oil. Place it on a baking tray and stick it in the oven. The flesh will steam inside the thick shell and soften beautifully, while the skin will become crispy and edible. Depending on the size of the squash and how soft you want it, it can take anywhere from three hours at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, one and a half hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or one hour at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for results. Let it cool enough to handle before cutting and using it in your favorite recipes.

The great thing about this trick is that you can roast the whole squash a day before and refrigerate it until you need it. Then cut it, scoop out the seeds, and roast it again after seasoning and brushing the flesh with olive oil. If you wish, you can cube it and proceed with the recipe, like in this maple-roasted butternut squash — toss it with a glaze made with butter, sugar, and spices, or try pomegranate molasses for something uniquely tart and sweet with a Middle Eastern touch.

You can leave your squash halved if you are looking to stuff it for a vegan or vegetarian main dish, which is especially nice for acorn, delicata (which you should be cooking with more often), or butternut squash recipes, such as in this Roasted Acorn Squash Wedge Salad. If you cook it long enough, it will be silky soft and scoopable, ready to turn into a side dish or use in a soup. For instance, add squash to tomatoes for something sweet, savory, creamy, and tangy. 

Try roasting the whole pumpkin the next time you want to make a pie for a nearly effortless alternative to canned filling, or roast it just enough to soften, cut the top off, scoop out the flesh, and blend into a soup, saving the pumpkin as a container for serving it. It brings a beautiful presentation to the table, and you can also scoop up any flesh remaining on the shell into each bowl.