Name: How to bake Hubbard squash whole
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 12 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 lbs. Hubbard squash; 2 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. pepper

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For an easy way to enjoy winter squash without having to peel it or do battle with your chef’s knife, the best option is to bake Hubbard squash whole. The flesh becomes soft and buttery, requiring nothing more from you than breaking it open and scooping it out with a spoon. The thick skin becomes soft, allowing you to slide the cooked squash right out with no effort at all.

This is one of the easiest Hubbard squash recipes you’ll ever find.

Whole Hubbard squash standing up in front of white tile background.

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Can you bake a Hubbard squash whole?

Roasting Hubbard squash whole is a great option when you don’t feel like wrestling with a rather substantial vegetable. This particular squash clocked in at about 6 pounds and because of its odd shape, cutting it can be a challenge.

By roasting a Hubbard squash whole, we avoid trying to cut a behemoth of a vegetable that is rolling all over the cutting board.

Whole roasted Hubbard squash on baking sheet.

This is what the outside will look like when it’s done. The blueish skin will turn darker and it’ll be blistered on the outside, but perfectly cooked inside and ready to use.

After you break it open, don’t throw away the seeds. You can make roasted Hubbard squash seeds, just like you would do with pumpkin.

Cooking whole squash this way gives you soft, tender flesh. If you like the brown edges of roasted Hubbard squash, you’ll have to slice it open before placing it in the oven.

How to cook Hubbard squash whole

Cooking it whole in the oven is as easy as it gets. Use a sharp paring knife to make 6 or 7 slits on the top and sides of the squash.

Paring knife stuck into Hubbard squash with blue towel on the side.

I like to do 2 on each side, then 2 or 3 on the top. The reason you have to do this is to allow the steam a place to escape. If you don’t give it a place to get out, it will make its’ own – in the form of an exploded squash inside your oven.

Think of it like a pressure cooker. The inside of the squash builds up steam in the oven as the flesh cooks. Just like a pressure cooker, it needs an escape valve.

By providing it, we avoid any mishaps with it breaking open on its own. That’s why it is necessary to poke a few holes when we bake Hubbard squash whole.

Roasted squash cut in half on baking sheet.

Just slide it into the oven, then go watch tv or take the dog outside for a bit, and come back to a perfect cooked squash.

You’ll want to roast the Hubbard on a rimmed baking sheet or in a large baking dish, because a bit of liquid will come out. Make sure you have something with a side, even a short one, to catch it so it doesn’t make a mess in the oven.

How to remove seeds and flesh

After you cut it open, or just break it open, because you don’t need a knife, this is what it will look like.

Scooping seeds from whole cooked squash.

Unfortunately for me, this one had quite a lot of seeds inside, but it did make for an excellent snack.

All that’s left to do is grab your largest kitchen spoon and remove the seeds before scooping the silky flesh out of the skin. Baking Hubbard squash whole is the simplest way to prepare this large vegetable.

Cleaning cooked flesh from cooked squash.

Scoop the cooked Hubbard squash out and stir it into your favorite soup, casserole, or simply top with a bit of butter and salt.

There you have it – the absolute easiest way to prepare a Hubbard squash.

How can I use this whole roasted squash?

Slide the squash out of its skin and turn it into one of the delicious recipes below. It makes squash for dinner during the week a breeze.

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Yield: 5 cups