Roasted Kabocha Squash is the best way to cook my favorite winter squash!
I’m just tickled pink when it’s autumn ‘cause I love me some winter squash, especially kabocha! When cooked, this Japanese pumpkin has the taste and texture of roasted chestnuts.
Even uber-picky Lil-O will swipe roasted slices off the communal plate and gobble them down. I normally keep the skin on when I roast them but if you’ve got autoimmune issues, peel them.
Time to make Roasted Kabocha Squash!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 medium kabocha squash
- 2 tablespoons ghee, olive oil, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Equipment:
- Vegetable peeler
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring spoons
- Large bowl
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
- All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 F with the rack in the middle. Rinse the squash under running water, and dry it. (If you’re gonna peel it, do so now with a sharp vegetable peeler.)
Like all winter squash, kabocha takes a sharp knife and a bit of brute force to cut up. I’ve found that the best way to attack it is to cut off the top and the bottom…
…’cause once the flesh is exposed, cutting it in half is a breeze.
Scoop out the seeds…
…and cut the squash into thin wedges.
Next, toss the squash with your fat of choice and sprinkle the slices with salt and pepper.
Place the squash in a single layer on a foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking tray…
…and pop it in the oven.
Roast the squash for 30 minutes, flipping them over at the midpoint. The wedges are ready to eat when they’re slightly crunchy on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside.
Got leftover roasted kabocha squash? Throw it into a quick and easy Whole30-friendly Thai Chicken Curry!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
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Roasted Kabocha Squash
Ingredients
- 1 medium kabocha squash
- 2 tablespoons ghee olive oil, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F with the rack in the middle. Rinse the squash under running water, and dry it. (If you’re gonna peel it, do so now with a sharp vegetable peeler.)
- Like all winter squash, kabocha takes a sharp knife and a bit of brute force to cut up. I’ve found that the best way to attack it is to cut off the top and the bottom, ’cause once the flesh is exposed, cutting it in half is a breeze.
- Scoop out the seeds and cut the squash into thin wedges. Toss the squash with your fat of choice and sprinkle the slices with salt and pepper.
- Place the squash in a single layer on a foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking tray and pop it in the oven.
- Roast the squash for 30 minutes, flipping them over at the midpoint. The wedges are ready to eat when they’re slightly crunchy on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside.
Jill says
This is the best way to cook kabocha! The ghee adds a delightful nuttiness that goes perfectly with the pumpkin. Sometimes I use magic mushroom instead of salt. It’s delicious both ways.
kalman says
Delicious! Thank you.
Jacqueline Shapiro says
Easy and delish!!! I used Black Truffle salt….
Melissa says
Made it exactly as you said to and it was fantastic! I had to google squash images first to see what I had even bought, then just went for it with your recipe. So so so delish, I love the texture most of all!
amos garrett says
best way to cut up big squashes (Kabochas, pumpkins)–1. drill a half inch hole in side of squash
with hand drill. 2. Get a drywall handsaw. Stick tip of saw in hole and saw away. Like a hot knife through soft butter!–
Alex Mottaz says
I’ve *never* cooked anything with kabocha before, and after trying this recipe I’m just kicking myself over why I never tried anything as delicious as this (it really does taste like a combination of potatoes and chestnuts!). I’ll definitely be using this recipe for the rest of my life!
Soft says
Mine didn’t come out crunchy?
What could have I done wrong?
They’re tasty, yet soft.
Michelle Tam says
They don’t come out crunchy. The outside is browned and there may be some crunch, but it’s more like a well-baked potato.
Kimberly says
They won’t be super crunchy but should have a crunch when bitten. Perhaps you used too much fat ( too much oil, ghee etc) — or could be your oven temperature is not correct. Try calibrating the oven to see accurate temperature specific to your oven
Melissa says
Do you eat the out side
Diana says
We had our first Kabocha squash tonight. We don’t have a microwave to soften it, so my husband cut it up for me. We kept the skin on. This was really good. I had to cook it a lot more than 30 minutes, though. I should have kept track of how much longer, but I didn’t. I hope I can find some more now.
Bebe says
Love this! I’ve made it this way and also baked and mashed. However, saying it’s easy to cut once the flesh is exposed is a bit of an overstatement—I’m cursing my knife, the cutting board and the squash right now, but it’s sooooo worth it. Having said that, I’d pay a premium to be able to buy this pre-prepped.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Michelle Tam says
Japanese markets have hacked up kabocha squash for sale!
Sun hae says
I love kabocha! I normally eat it steamed, skin on. This is how my korean mother always prepared it for us! But I wanted to try something different and when I roasted it, the outside got really rubbery and inside dried out. What could I have done wrong?
Michelle Tam says
I don’t think you did anything wrong! Steamed kabocha is more tender and moist than roasted kabocha! Roasted kabocha has the texture of cooked chestnuts.
Steve Carnes says
Absolutely wonderful! I think I cut the pieces a bit too thick to get the skin to crunch up properly, but, that’s my issue. 😉 My wife is an almost-vegan vegetarian. We *will* have this again!
Abigail Lynch says
Love this. Sometimes it’s dry. Next time I’ll try ghee but I used so much olive oil that I don’t think that’s the only problem. Any tips? Thanks!
Michelle Tam says
Kabocha squash does have a drier texture than other winter squash. Some people steam it if they want it to be moister!
Komorebi says
Thank you for the recipe, it was delicious!!