Recipe

How to Cook Butternut Squash in Your Slow Cooker

By Lauren Arendt at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

The autumn season is upon us: the time for cozy sweaters, fuzzy socks, and comforting meals. Butternut squash accents the fall season perfectly with its vibrant orange coloration, warm fragrance, and creamy texture. 

But what on Earth do you do with such a large, hard, seemingly inedible squash? It may seem that buying prepackaged butternut squash soup is the fastest and easiest way to get a butternut squash-fix, but there is an even better way.

It so happens that making butternut squash from scratch is a nearly effortless endeavor. All you need is your slow cooker, a sharp knife, and butternut squash, of course.

You simply pop the squash in the slow cooker, forget about it, and come home to a kitchen filled with heavenly fall aromas and a delicious meal. 

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash

  • Prep Time: 2 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 hrs
  • Total Time: 10 hrs 2 mins
  • Servings: 2
Ingredients
  • Butternut Squash
  • Knife
  • Slow Cooker

Lauren Arendt

Step 1

Wash your butternut squash and remove any stickers from the squash.

Lauren Arendt

Step 2

Place the washed butternut squash in your slow cooker completely whole, with all the skin on.

Lauren Arendt

Step 3

Either set the slow cooker to low and leave the squash for six hours, or set it to high and leave it for four hours, with the lid on.

Lauren Arendt

Step 4

Once the squash is done, the skin will be tender enough to effortlessly puncture.

Lauren Arendt

Step 5

Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds.

Lauren Arendt

Step 6

Scoop out the squash and add it to your favorite fall recipe, make it into a soup, or save some for another meal.

Lauren Arendt

How I Used The Squash

Since I am only cooking for one (#college), I decided to use half of the squash and save the rest as leftovers.

I sauteed another fall favorite, Brussels sprouts, with garlic and onion while I baked salmon in an olive oil, honey, lemon, tamari, and garlic mixture. 

This meal was delicious: the buttery salmon accented the natural creaminess of the butternut squash perfectly and the Brussels sprouts added the perfect accent of color and crunch. 

The end product of this recipe can be used in an endless number of ways, but is extremely easy and hands off. Ten out of ten, would recommend.