How to clean butternut squash for my favorite butternut squash recipe
One of my favorite dishes to make during the winter (and holidays) is butternut squash, roasted with onion and seedless red grapes. It may sound like an odd combination, but it’s delicious – trust me. I think a lot of people don’t cook winter squash because they don’t know how to cut or clean them. So when I made this for Thanksgiving, I took some photos to share.
First I pierce the exterior of the squash, much like you would pierce a Russet potato before baking. Then I microwave the squash for about 30 seconds and let it cool.
Once it’s cool enough to handle, take your largest potato peeler (I use a cheese slicer) to peel off the exterior skin.
Most of the meat of the squash is in the neck, so keep that in mind when selecting one from your grocery produce section. I set aside the base of the squash to use in soup, as that’s where the seeds are and it’s a slightly different texture.
Now, take the squash that you’ve peeled and slice and dice as you would a cucumber. For my roasted butternut squash recipe, I slice 1-inch thick rings, then cut that up into six cubes.
Now, for the magical recipe, courtesy of Bon Appétit, October 2005:
Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Grapes, and Sage
Ingredients:
- 2-1/4-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
- 1-1/2 cups seedless red grapes (about 8 ounces)
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine butternut squash, grapes, onion, and sage in large bowl. Drizzle with oil and melted butter. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread out onto large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until squash and onion begin to brown, stirring occasionally, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer to platter, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, and serve.
Hi Lori, I found your blog from the comment you made in Marte’s active rain blog, the one question that I have with microwaving these, is does it hurt the viability of the seeds after they have been microwaved enough to soften the skin? I always save the seeds from squash and pumpkins for planing in my garden and giving to friends and would hate to destroy my seeds.
Bob, I have no clue if microwaving for 15 or 30 seconds damages the seeds. I would think not. You can try skipping that step or softening the skin by steaming. I think using the cheese slicer to peel the skin is key – softening the skin ahead of time just makes that easier. Good luck!
Bob, another thought – the seeds are in the BASE of the squash – perhaps you could cut that portion off and only microwave the neck?
Hello Lori,
Thank you for sharing your secret preparation for butternut squash recipe.
Love the pictures and how detailed the process is. More blogs like this in the
future please.
Erika Rogers
Re/Max First Realty