Oven-Roasted Squash
GAPS* Stage:
Varies
Pumpkin flesh cooked in soup or stock is Intro Stage 1+. If you want to consume the pumpkin flesh straight out of the oven, this is in Stage 4+.
All other winter squashes (such as acorn, butternut, buttercup, delicata & spaghetti) are in the Full GAPS Diet.
About the Recipe
This is one of the best ways to cook tough-skinned winter squash to attain the flesh. The oven-roasted flesh is soft and easy to scrap off the skin. Measure and freeze the flesh for later! Saving you time and energy!
Two methods are described below, giving you freedom to choose which one you'd like to use based on the equipment that you have.
Method #1 Equipment:
• Unbleached parchment paper
• Cookie sheet
• Additional oven-safe dish with water to release moisture into the oven
Method #2 Equipment:
• Oven-safe glass dish or roaster
Ingredients
Pumpkin or winter squash (such as acorn, butternut, buttercup, delicata & spaghetti)
Filtered water
Coconut oil or animal fat for greasing (method #2 only)
Method #1 Instructions
Step 1
Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF / 204ºC and lay the parchment paper overtop of the cookie sheet.
Step 2
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Lay the squash facing down on the parchement paper.
Step 3
Place the cookie sheet into the oven, along with the additional dish filled with water.
Step 4
Cook for 30-45 minutes until a fork pieces the flesh of the squash easily. Note that the skin will still be hard to pierce, but the flesh underneath should be soft.
Step 5
Remove from the oven and let it cool down sufficiently to handle it.
Step 6
Once it’s cool enough to handle, scoop the soft flesh away from the skin. For Stage 1+ you can further cook the flesh in a soup. For Stage 4+ you can eat the flesh with additional fat (animal fat, ghee, butter), spices and some honey. Or you can blend the flesh into a nice thick paste with an immersion blend and freeze pre-measured quantities within BPA-Free freezer-safe Ziplock bags.
Method #2 Instructions
Step 1
Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF / 204ºC.
Grease the bottom of the bakeware. Pour sufficient water into the base of the bakeware so that the water is thinly distributed over the entire surface.
Step 2
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. For pumpkins specifically, you’ll need to cut it up further so that the pieces are not so large.
Step 3
Lay the squash facing down in the bakeware filled with water and place it into the oven.
Step 4
Cook for 30-45 minutes until a fork pieces the flesh of the squash easily. Note that the skin will still be hard to pierce, but the flesh underneath should be soft.
Step 5
Remove from the oven and let it cool down sufficiently to handle it.
Step 6
Once it’s cool enough to handle, scoop the soft flesh away from the skin. For Stage 1+ you can further cook the flesh in a soup. For Stage 4+ you can eat the flesh with additional fat (animal fat, ghee, butter), spices and some honey. Or you can blend the flesh into a nice thick paste with an immersion blend and freeze pre-measured quantities within BPA-Free freezer-safe Ziplock bags.
