I have seen butternut squash piled up high in the grocery store, but before now, I had never eaten one. I love acorn squash & this spring I decided to expand my squash horizons. So I planted some butternut squash plants. It was late in the season when they got planted, Jim had his spell in the hospital which caused them to be neglected. The upshot is that I am just now getting any squash from the plants. They are also small–much smaller than normal. But that’s, ok cause I didn’t know if I would like them or not.
Small butternut squash cut in half ready to be baked.
Anyway, I’ve had this cute little butternut squash sitting on the kitchen counter for awhile. Today’s the day! I kept looking at it & got inspired to try it. Several articles I’ve read have suggested cooking it same as any other winter squash so I decide to fix it as I usually fix my acorn squash.
The cleaver cuts it in half very quickly & I scoop the seeds out. Turn it upside down in a pie tin with enough water to cover the bottom. Put it in the oven at 350∘F & let it bake. How long it needs to bake will depend on the size of the squash. Just keep in mind that these are dense squashes, unlike the summer squashes, & will take longer to cook. After approximately 20 minutes, the squash halves were fork tender. I then turned them
Here
over & added a dab of butter to the cativity, sprinkled some cinnamon on them & put them back in the oven for around 10 minutes. Normally I use a bit of brown sugar or honey on the acorn squash, but I hesitated on the butternut because of my unfamiliarity with it. In the future, I will use a bit of one of those sweeteners on the squash. Jim & I enjoyed the little butternut squash halves. I’m looking forward to fixing the other small squashes that are growing on the vine. Will definitely plant more of them next year & try to get them out earlier in the spring so I can have a good amount of butternut squash for us to enjoy.
Tags: acorn squash, butternut squash, cooking, dense squashes, squash