Cutting Winter Squash

By far the least appealing thing about Winter Squash is that you are almost risking your life...ehhh....or at least your fingers cutting it!

I usually recommend that customers cook the squash whole by simply washing it, placing it in an oven safe dish with a little bit of water in the bottom and baking until knife tender. This only works if you're pureeing the squash (however you can use that method for spaghetti squash always since it does not effect the quality of the "spaghetti").

However there are times when you want do to things a little differently...perhaps you want your butternut squash cubed rather than pureed.

Per the recommendation from one of my customers I tried microwaving the whole squash for 2-4 minutes (size plays a part here). It worked perfectly. It was just enough to soften the flesh so it could be more easily cut.

Always start with 2 minutes and move up in time if necessary.

Allow squash to sit and cool for a few minutes before handling.

Peel the squash after microwaving with a vegetable peeler and you're ready to cook up something amazing!

roasted butternut squash with goat cheese

Above, I made roasted Butternut Squash with some goat cheese. Easy delicious and nutritious side dish!

Just cube butternut squash.

Toss on a baking sheet with olive oil.

Roast at 425 until they look browned and are fork tender.

Place in a bowl and crumble goat cheese over the top.