How Do I Cube Butternut Squash?

For people who are unfamiliar with cooking butternut squash, the idea of preparing it can seem intimidating at first. This is particularly true when it is necessary to cube butternut squash for a specific recipe. To cube butternut squash it must be washed, cut, peeled, and seeded. Each section is then cut into slices and then cubes. While cubing this winter squash may take a little extra time, the nutritional value and its appealing taste makes it worth the effort.

When preparing to cube butternut squash, the outer skin will need to be taken care of first. Unlike some winter squash, the skin of the butternut is not edible. It must be cleaned to prevent surface bacteria from entering the squash when it is cut. Scrub the skin using a vegetable brush under warm, running water.

Cutting the squash in half will make it easier to handle while it is being peeled. One end of the butternut squash is fat and rounded, while the other end is thinner and more elongated. Using a sharp knife, cut the squash completely in half at the point where the thinner part of the squash begins to round out into the more bulbous end. Take a vegetable peeler or a small, sharp knife, and peel away the skin of the squash.

Place the fatter end on a cutting surface and cut it in half. Using a rounded spoon, scoop out all of the seeds. Continue cleaning out all of the seeds and the pulp until there is an empty, shallow hole at the center. Do the same for the other half of the rounded end.

Turn one of the cleaned out ends over so that it is laying face down on the cutting surface. Cut the squash lengthwise into slices, but do not separate them. Keeping the slices together, cut across them width-wise to create cubes. If necessary, cut the thicker pieces in half.

Lay the longer half of the butternut squash on the cutting surface and begin to cut it into slices. The thickness of these slices will dictate how thick the cubes will be. After the entire section has been cut into round slices, stack two or three of them together. Cut into the stack lengthwise to create several more slices. Hold them to keep them together.

To cube butternut squash correctly, it is necessary to cut width-wise next. This will turn the stack of slices into a stack of butternut squash cubes. Move the completed cubes aside and create another stack of squash slices. Continue until all of the slices have been cubed.