Sweet and creamy, this butternut squash has gorgeous color that lights up the plate beside hearty fall dishes like roast chicken, pork tenderloin, or beef short ribs.
The flavors of maple syrup and nutmeg give this squash dish depth and warmth. The creamy texture is achieved by taking care at a few key points during the preparation, steps that make the difference between a slightly pulpy and watery consistency, and the meltingly soft result we want.
First, when peeling the squash, make sure to peel all the way down to pure, bright orange flesh. Just under the skin is a paler orange layer that’s striped with long green fibers that run the length of the squash. Peel all of that away. I also forgo using the bulbous end of the squash, the part that’s full of seeds and pulpy strands — the scraping that’s required to remove all that pulp isn’t worth the small amount of squash flesh you get from that end, and the texture of the flesh is different there. It’s wasteful, I know, but I only use the neck, and the rounded end goes on the compost pile.
The other hack is to make sure to drain off as much water as possible before whipping the squash with the butter and seasonings. After simmering the squash until it’s almost falling apart, drain it through a fine mesh sieve, and press against the squash with the back of a spoon to squeeze out every drop of moisture.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- The squash can be prepared several days in advance, up to and including the step of whipping it with the butter and seasonings; let the mixture cool, then put it in a storage container and chill it. Transfer the mixture to a buttered dish and bake it for 30 minutes (an extra 10 minutes because the mixture is starting off cold).
- Leftovers keep for a couple of days in a covered container in the refrigerator.
To see this recipe featured in a menu, including timing for preparing this and the other dishes, see my posts for Saturday October 5, 2019 and Saturday November 7, 2020.
Whipped Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 medium (2½- to 3-pound) butternut squash
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for the dish
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 3/8 teaspoon Morton's), plus additional
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Minced parsley for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2 Cut off the bulbous end of the squash and discard it or save it for another use. Peel the neck end of the squash until all that remains is bright orange flesh, making sure to peel away the long green fibers that run the length of the neck. Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. You should have about 1½ pounds of squash cubes.
- Step 3 Place the squash cubes in a medium saucepan and cover them with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer the squash for 15 minutes, or until a cube of squash falls apart when poked with a fork.
- Step 4 Meanwhile, put 4 tablespoons of the butter, the brown sugar, syrup, ¾ teaspoon of salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Butter a small casserole dish and set it aside.
- Step 5 Drain the squash through a fine-mesh sieve. Using the back of a spoon, mash the squash against the sieve so all the water is forced out.
- Step 6 Dump the squash into the mixing bowl and beat the mixture with a hand-held electric mixer until the butter is melted and the mixture is combined and smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Step 7 Bake the squash for 20 minutes.
- Step 8 Sprinkle with the parsley before serving.
