The thought of cutting up a whole butternut squash can be daunting. They’re awkwardly shaped and about as hard of a vegetable as I can think of. But you can conquer the tough skin of the butternut squash and enjoy the delicious sweet flesh that awaits inside, I promise.
Check Out My Quick Butternut Squash Cutting Video
Butternut Squash Preparation and Cutting
Begin by thoroughly washing and drying your butternut squash.
Prepare your work area with a cutting board and a large chef’s knife. To learn more about the three knives every home chef needs check out this post.
For the purpose of the tutorial I used a very basic ceramic coated chef’s knife by Cuisinart. I own this set and it is a great every day meal prep knife set, plus it’s super affordable. I also love that each knife has a shield for storage. With four young children at home extra safety is always helpful.
Begin by cutting about one inch off of the top and bottom off of your squash. To do this, place your knife where you want to cut and then use your other hand to tap (or bang, if necessary) the knife into the squash. Remember this is a very hard vegetable so you will need to use some force.
Next stand the squash up and cut down vertically into two to four sections depending on the size of your squash.
Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon scrape the seeds from the squash and discard.
At this point you have two chocies:
Method 1
Lay the squash flat side down and cut into semi circles and then remove the skin from each semi circle. This is a good option if you’re still not totally comfortable with your knife skills. This method will also generally allow you to get the most flesh from the squash and discard very little during the cutting process.
Method 2
Stand up the squash and cut vertically down the side to remove the skin. This requires more confident knife skills and you may end up losing a little bit more of the flesh doing it this way. I choose to do it this way because it is a time saver, but pick a method that you are most comfortable with. Once the skin is removed, cut the flesh into whatever size chunks you need for your recipe.
Butternut Squash Storage
I like to prep my squash ahead of time and store it in reusable zip top bags, like these ones. I have tried several brands, but I really like the Wolfgang Puck ones because of how wide they open up and the flat bottoms that make them easy to stand up. The cut squash can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
I hope this has helped you gain the confidence you need to conquer a whole butternut squash. If there are any other fruits or vegetables you’d like to conquer, let me now and I’d be more than happy to make a demonstration video.
While you’re here, need help planning your family’s meals? Get my free Family Meal Planner straight to your in box, when you sing up here. I promise not to email you very often, in fact, I only send out one monthly email that recaps everything that’s new on the blog, just in case you missed anything.
Until next time happy cooking!
Cheers,
Laura