Batch {Bulk} Cooking with Pumpkin & Butternut Squash

I’m back to share with y’all another batch cooking session. This week I’ll show you different ways to cook and use pumpkin and butternut squash. I had 3 butternut squash and 1 medium sized pumpkin. Preheat your oven to 375-400 degrees.

I started off by thoroughly cleaning the outside of all 3 squash and the pumpkin. You’ll want to use a big cutting board or spread a towel over your counter surface to put the squash and pumpkin on. I used a big sharp knife to cut off the tops and down the center of each individually. Be VERY careful doing this. They are hard to cut and you don’t want to hurt yourself doing this. I used a spoon to help me dig out the guts and seeds. I kept a bowl nearby for placing them in. Once the innards are out I washed the inside of the squash and pumpkin to be sure I got it all. I cut the top parts of the squash and peeled the skin then cut into bite sized cubes. Those got tossed in some olive oil and roasted on a baking pan for about 30-40 minutes.


Now I placed the rest of the squash cut side down on baking pans or in aluminum pans that are big enough. Rub olive or vegetable oil all over the inside and out. You can put up to 1/2 cup of water in if you think it’s needed. Cook the squash about 45 minutes or more. Once the squash was fork tender I scooped the flesh out and put in a pan. Throw away the peeling. I used my hand held emersion blender to puree the squash. I did the same with the pumpkin (cooked it on a different pan for an hour and scooped out the flesh to puree). I was left with two medium bowls of squash and pumpkin puree.

I divided the squash (also the pumpkin) into 2 cup portions in labeled quart sized Ziploc bags. I  flatten them to get out as much air as possible to freeze flat on a baking sheet. As you can see in the pictures I ended up with 5 or more bags of each puree. I poured the roasted squash cubes into a container to use in meals for the week. Now what can I use all of this squash and pumpkin for?

Meal ideas to serve butternut squash puree in, or with:

* Use as baby food (Yes you read that right. You can make it as thin or thick as needed)

* Make a Pureed Soup/ Bisque

* Stir into a sauce for pasta

Meal ideas to serve roasted butternut squash cubes in, or with

* Add to Curry
* Add to Soup

* Add to a Salad
* Add to a Stew

* Serve with other roasted vegetables (like carrots, potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, ect.)
* Serve in a Rice Pilaf

* Mix with roasted sweet potato cubes (to serve as a breakfast Hash)

Meal ideas to serve pumpkin puree in, or with:

* Mix into pancake batter

* Make sweet breads/muffins

* Make cookies

* Make cake/cheese cake

* Make Pie

* Make Pumpkin Butter

* Mix into cornbread batter

* Make Pureed Soup/ Bisque

* Stir in Chili

* Use in a smoothie

* Use in a dip for cookies or fruit

* Use in place of sweet potatoes in a dish/meal

These are just some examples of the many things you can do. If any other things come to mind, I may come back to add to this list later. What can you think of that I haven’t added to the list? Please fee free to let me know in the comments below. I will be back with you next week with another bulk cooking session.