How to peel and cook butternut squash

winter squash

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) is one of my staple pantry ingredients. I usually have it whole or peeled, chopped and stored in the freezer. It is such a versatile vegetable that I find myself using it again and again. I use it in soupschilli, pasta, stews, curries, roasted vegetable, salads and more.

How to peel and cook butternut squash

  • It is easier to peel it if you cut it in half first (crossways).
  • Cut it in the middle between the narrow neck and rounder bottom.
  • Then put the flat cut surface down, so that it is stable and peel downwards with a sharp and slightly heavy knife.
  • After peeling, scoop out but don’t discard the seeds as these can be roasted and eaten.
  • Slice or cube the butternut squash before steaming, boiling, roasting or frying it.
  • If you don’t want to peel it then just cut it in half (longitudinally), scoop out the seeds and bake it. During baking the skin will soften so much that at the end the skin is edible too.
  • During roasting, make sure to stir butternut squash pieces a couple of time so that they cook evenly on all sides.  It’s naturally sweet flavour deepens when roasted.
  • I find that if you cook butternut squash in stews or curries etc for a long time it could disintegrate. It is better to roast it in the oven and then add it to the final dish a few minutes before the end of cooking.

Other tips for butternut squash.

  • Use butternut squash in place of pumpkin and sweet potatoes in recipes.
  • I have stored cubed butternut squash in a freezer for up to three months. I just remove it from freezer a few hours before I need it.

Please revisit this blog to see more butternut squash recipes and don’t forget to share your tips for butternut squash in the comments section.

Winter squash
Butternut

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