Butternut squash is a tricky little thing. If you buy it pre-cubed, it goes bad so quickly. But if you buy it whole, shaped like a long pear with an uber-thick exterior, what would you do with it?!
If you’re a Food La La veteran, you’ve learned how to mince garlic, and perfectly dice a bell pepper, so with #PSL season upon us, I figured it was time we learned how to cube a butternut squash. Because what if your local farmer’s market has (a whole) one, just waitin’ for ya this weekend?
Plus if you cut it yourself, you get to roast up those seeds: Rinse and thoroughly dry the seeds. Drizzle with 1 TBS olive oil and ½ tsp salt (plus a few shakes of your favorite spice: Maybe some cinnamon? Curry powder? Cayenne?) and toss to coat. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 275 for 15-20 minutes.
Follow these steps to effortlessly cube a whole butternut squash. Just make sure you’re starting with a sharp knife—there’s nothing more dangerous than a dull one.
Step 1: Peel entire squash with a vegetable peeler
Step 2: Cut off the top and the bottom
Step 3: Slice in half lengthwise
Step 4: Scoop out seeds (and save!)
Step 6: Flip squash over and cut in half crosswise
Step 7: Slice each quarter into 1” strips
Step 8: Slice each strip crosswise in 1” pieces to create cubes