How To Get The Most From Your Butternut Squash

I've been roasting my squash seeds for awhile now but... have you ever roasted the peel too? Trust me! Try this once and you will never again throw away your squash seeds and skin!

They're Crispy
Spiced However You Like
A Fun Snack
And A Beautiful Garnish!

Watch the short video below to see how easy it is to roast the skins & seeds!

Are you looking forward to the next time you can serve a butternut squash soup to guests and impress them with these crispy squash chips on top?

Take a look at our Simple Curried Butternut Squash Soup garnished with these beauties!

How To Roast Squash Seeds & Skin

I love how quick and easy these are! I make my squash soup on the stovetop while these roast away in the oven.

To Get Started:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Thoroughly wash your squash.
  • Since you will be eating the skin, it's best to give it a good rinse and pat it dry.
• Slice off the stem and bottom ends.
• Turn the squash upright and place one of the flat ends on your cutting board.

For The Skin:

• Using a sharp knife, carefully slice along the edge of the squash to separate the peel from the squash.
  • Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler if you are less comfortable with a knife.
• Try to get as little squash as possible with the peeled skin so that the chips will be nice and crispy.
• Smaller pieces will crisp up better than larger pieces. If you're like me and you end up with lots of little slices of peel don't worry! Those will be nice and crispy and tasty.

For The Seeds:

• Slice the squash in half lengthwise.
• Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Make sure to scrape all the stringy membrane out as well.
• Get your fingers dirty and separate the seeds from the stringy membrane.
  • Some seeds may be too thin to roast. Toss any thin seeds, the stringy membrane, and the cut ends of your squash in your bag of veggie scraps for tasty homemade vegetable broth!
• Rinse the seeds under cool water and pat them dry.

The Seasonings

• Toss the seeds and skin in a bowl.
• Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Add in any other spices you'd like. Try curry powder and smoked paprika!

How To Roast Squash Seeds And Skin

• Spread the seeds and skin on a baking sheet.
• And roast for 15-20 minutes until nice and crispy!
• BONUS: If you can turn off the oven and keep the seeds and skin in the oven as it cools they will get extra dry and crispy!

And that's it! You have successfully used all of your butternut squash! Isn't that satisfying?

You can easily roast your diced squash along with the seeds and skin or add it raw to a soup and it will cook in the broth.

*Roasting your diced squash will likely take 30-40 minutes. When you check your seeds and skin after 15 minutes; give your squash cubes a flip and continue roasting until they are soft and lightly golden.

Gimme Some Oven has a great blog post that covers the various ways you can roast your butternut squash!

And I'd love to take credit for this idea but we were inspired by Max La Manna's Seed to Skin Squash and Sage Pasta! We love his tips for cutting down on food waste and thought these seeds and skins would make the perfect garnish for squash soup!

So what do you think? Will you be giving these crispy squash seeds and skin a try? Let us know in the comments below!