While peeled and cubed butternut squash is readily available, it is usually much pricier per pound than the whole version. But between you and that delicious bright orange vegetable is a butterscotch-colored armor of a shell, and it’s easy to see why people are intimidated by knowing how to get from A to Z in terms of preparing it for cooking.

But butternut squash is actually quite easy to turn from its cylindrical-meets-dumbbell shape into large or small cubes, or slices, for use in all sorts of wonderful dishes, such as Butternut Squash Soup, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Butternut Squash Casserole. And, knowing how to peel and dismantle this versatile, cold-weather beauty will not only save you some cash but also ensure that you are cooking with a much fresher product.

Do you have questions about how to peel, cut, and prepare butternut squash? We’ve got lots of answers!

How to Peel and Cube Butternut Squash

1. Peel the squash: Grab a sturdy peeler and start peeling off the skin; an extra-wide peeler is helpful here if you have it. The skin is thick, and underneath the top layer, you may see a muted tan/orange color with streaks of green. Keep peeling. You want to keep going until you get down to the bright orange flesh, which usually means a couple of passes with the peeler. You can also use a paring knife.

2. Slice off the top: With a large, heavy knife, on top of a secure cutting board, slice off the top of the squash. Then, slice the squash in half crosswise, right at the top of the bottom bulging part.

3. Cut the squash in half: Take the top cylindrical part and cut the whole thing in half from top to bottom.
4. Cut off the bottom: Cut the bulbous bottom in half from top to bottom. You will see a cavity filled with seeds in each half.
5. Cut the top and remove seeds: Trim off the bottom stem edge of both bottom halves. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and any strings (if you’ve ever cleaned out a pumpkin, this will be a familiar task).

6. Cut into strips: Cut the long, upper halves into 1-inch thick planks (or to the thickness you desire), then cut those planks into 1-inch thick strips.
7. Cube the strips: Cut the strips crosswise so that you create 1-inch square cubes.

8. Cut the bottom halves: Cut the bottom halves into 1-inch thick strips, and then cut those crosswise into 1-inch pieces (the bottom half will not yield such symmetrical cubes, but that’s fully okay).

9. Now you are ready to cook your squash! Cut-up squash can be cooked in the oven. It can also be sautéed and finished with some liquid to help it cook through, or simply added to simmering broth and then pureed into soup.

More Fresh Produce Cooking Tips

When you are done mastering the butternut squash situation, check out:

• How to Cook Broccoflower
• How to Cook Pears
• How to Cook Pumpkins
• How to Cook Zucchini and Summer Squash
• How to Cook Kohlrabi

---

12 Butternut Squash Recipes!

Put that cut-up squash to good use in these delicious butternut squash recipes.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---