- Categories
- Food and Entertaining
- Recipes
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Squash
Download Article
Explore this Article
parts
1Peeling and Cutting the Squash
2Cooking the Squash in Boiling Water
Other Sections
Tips and Warnings
Things You'll Need
Related Articles
References
22 Recipe Ratings|Success Stories
Co-authored bywikiHow Staff
Last Updated: April 11, 2024Tested
Download Article
Boiling butternut squash is a great way to soften it up and it cooks really fast. Keep in mind that boiling is also the least flavorful method, so it's best to use this technique when you're planning to mash or puree the squash and mix it with other flavorful ingredients. If you’ve ever boiled potatoes or other vegetables, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to do, so gather your utensils and get started!
Best Way to Boil Butternut Squash
- Wash the squash, cut off the base and top stem, and remove the skin with a vegetable peeler.
- Slice the squash down the middle, scoop out the seeds, then cut it into small 2-inch cubes.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, put the squash in the water, and turn down the heat to medium. Boil the squash for 10-20 minutes until it's tender.
Part 1
Part 1 of 2:
Peeling and Cutting the Squash
Download Article
1
Wash the squash thoroughly under cool or warm running water. Rinse your butternut squash under the kitchen faucet. Rub it with your hands or a vegetable brush get any dirt or stickiness off.[1]
- You’ll be peeling the squash, but you should still wash it to remove any dirt or gunk on the skin that could get on your hands and get transferred to the pieces of squash flesh that you’re preparing.
2
Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut off both ends of your butternut squash. Lay the squash on its side on a large cutting board and hold it steady. Cut the top stem end and the bottom base end off.[2]
- The top end of the squash is the narrower end and the flatter, wider end is the base.
- You don’t have to cut off a lot from the ends. About 1⁄4in (0.64cm) or so is fine.
Advertisem*nt
3
Strip off the peel of the squash using a vegetable peeler. Hold the squash steady on its side with one hand. Grab a vegetable peeler in your other hand and start peeling off the hard skin from top to bottom, all the way around the squash.[3]
- Make sure you peel off all the white-ish peel and are left with just the orange flesh underneath. You might have to go over some parts more than once to get all the skin off.
- As an alternative to a vegetable peeler, you can use a sharp paring knife. Just be very careful not to cut towards your fingers or any other body parts.
4
Slice the neck off the base of the squash to expose the seeds. Use your chef’s knife to cut horizontally across the squash where the skinny top meets the fat base. Cut off a bit more from the top of the base if you still don’t see the seeds.[4]
- Alternatively, stand the squash up on its bottom end and cut it in half straight down the middle to expose the seeds. Whatever works best for you is fine!
5
Scoop out the seeds from both halves using a metal spoon. Plunge a soup spoon or other metal spoon into the stringy seed cavity. Scrape out all the seeds and stringy bits until you get down to the smooth flesh.[5]
- Discard the seeds or rinse them off and roast them for something to snack on.
6
Slice the squash up into approximately 2in (5.1cm) cubes. Cut the neck and base in half vertically, then cut them into 2in (5.1cm) wide strips. Turn the strips and cut them crosswise into 2in (5.1cm) wide cubes.[6]
- You don’t have to make the cubes perfect. Just try to make the pieces about the same size so they cook evenly.
Advertisem*nt
Part 2
Part 2 of 2:
Cooking the Squash in Boiling Water
Download Article
1
Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Pick a pot that can easily hold all the cubed butternut squash without getting filled up more than halfway. Pour cold water into the pot until it is about half full, then put it on a burner over high heat and wait for it to boil.[7]
- You can use a soup pot or a Dutch oven for this. Anything that can hold enough boiling water to cover all the butternut squash will work just fine.
2
Put the squash in the boiling water and lower the temperature to medium. Carefully transfer your cubes of butternut squash into the pot of boiling water. Reduce the temperature to medium until the water is simmering instead of fully boiling.[8]
- Be very careful not to splash boiling water on yourself. Stand back from the stove and slide the pieces in slowly or lower them into the boiling water with a slotted spoon.
3
Boil the squash for 10-20 minutes until it’s fork-tender. Check the squash by poking a piece or two with a fork after 10 minutes. Keep checking the tenderness every 5 minutes or so and turn off the burner when the fork slides easily into the squash.[9]
- Don’t worry about overcooking the squash. It’s better to cook it for longer until all the pieces are very tender than to stop boiling it too soon and end up with undercooked pieces.
4
Strain the squash through a colander or mesh strainer. Pour the contents of the pot out carefully through a strainer or colander over your kitchen sink. Shake the squash around a couple of times, then let it sit and drain for about 5 minutes to get rid of all the excess moisture.[10]
- Squash absorbs a lot of water when it's boiling. Draining it gets rid of the excess and prevents the it from getting too mushy or watery.
5
Combine the squash with other ingredients to prepare it. Mash the tender pieces of squash together with butter, salt, and pepper using a fork to make a simple mashed butternut squash side dish. Or, use a blender to combine the squash with chicken or vegetable broth and aromatics like garlic, onions, olive oil, and herbs to make a soup.[11]
- You can use a food processor or hand mixer to puree boiled butternut squash instead of mashing it.
- You can eat boiled butternut squash on its own, but it will taste pretty bland. If you want to eat it plain, try tossing squash with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Advertisem*nt
Tips
Dishes made using boiled butternut squash go really well as a side with roasted birds, such as a roast chicken or turkey.[12]
Thanks
Helpful0Not Helpful0
Spices that pair nicely when you blend or mash them together with butternut squash are things like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You can also try herbs like rosemary and thyme.[13]
Thanks
Helpful0Not Helpful0
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Submit
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisem*nt
Warnings
Butternut squash has a notoriously thick skin that sometimes requires more effort to peel than the average vegetable. Be extra careful when you’re peeling it not to slip and nick or cut yourself with the peeler or knife.
Thanks
Helpful1Not Helpful0
Advertisem*nt
Things You’ll Need
- Squash
- Pot
- Water
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Metal spoon
- Fork
You Might Also Like
Advertisem*nt
References
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/archive/blogs/editor/2008/02/kitchen-tricks.html
- ↑ https://www.delish.com/cooking/a21936235/how-to-peel-cut-butternut-squash/
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cut-and-peel-a-butternut-squash-249946
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cut-and-peel-a-butternut-squash-249946
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cut-and-peel-a-butternut-squash-249946
- ↑ https://www.food.com/recipe/mashed-butternut-squash-164492
- ↑ https://www.wellplated.com/mashed-butternut-squash/
- ↑ https://www.wellplated.com/mashed-butternut-squash/
- ↑ https://www.food.com/recipe/mashed-butternut-squash-164492
More References (4)
About This Article
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 30,427 times.
22 votes - 91%
Co-authors: 3
Updated: April 11, 2024
Views:30,427
Categories: Squash
- Send fan mail to authors
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 30,427 times.
Reader Success Stories
Susan
Mar 1, 2022
"This was the best and easiest how-to tutorial I have used! The short and specific video clips are far superior to..." more
Did this article help you?
Advertisem*nt