Learning how to prepare butternut squash is a fundamental skill which can be transferred to other vegetables. Once you have mastered the techniques, you can start to become more adventurous and include butternut squash in more delicious recipes. We have included two healthy recipes to get you practising with the methods of how to cut a butternut squash. Be sure to let us know how you found the steps and tag us in any creations on our social media platforms. We can’t wait to see how you get on!
How to Prepare Butternut Squash
Learning how to prepare a butternut squash has never been easier thanks to our seven simple steps:
- Things you will need
The things you will need to prepare a butternut squash are:- Sharp knife
- Speed peeler
- Spoon
- Remove the skin from the butternut squash
Place your butternut squash on the chopping board and take the speed peeler in your dominant hand. Firmly hold the squash with your hand and use the speed peeler to take long strokes against the skin of the butternut squash. Once you have done one side of the vegetable, turn over to do the remaining side.
- Cutting the butternut squash
Once all the outer skin is removed, you want to take your sharp knife and cut the top and bottom away from the vegetable. You then want to cut the vegetable in half width ways. A good indicator as to where to cut is just above where the butternut squash starts to go rounder. Taking the bottom half (the more rounded end), you want to cut this section in half again to reveal the seeds.
- Scoop out the seeds
Using the spoon, grab half of the bottom section and begin to scoop out the seeds. Repeat this for the other half.
- Cutting the butternut squash into wedges
Now you have scooped the seeds out, take your knife and trim the edge of the squash so that when placed flat on the chopping board it won’t move. Rotate the vegetable so it is portrait, and begin to cut lengthways with your knife. Ideally you want each section to be the same size. - Cutting the butternut squash into chunks
To cut the butternut squash into chunks, use the top half of the vegetable and place the bottom edge flat against the chopping board. You then want to use your knife and cut down into the squash, making even sections.
- Preparing into chunks
Selecting one of the long sections just created, place it flat on the chopping board and slice lengthways. You then want to rotate the lengths and dice into chunks. Repeat this for each section.
Health Benefits of Butternut Squash
The health benefits of butternut squash are common with other orange coloured fruit and vegetables. Meaning butternut squash is packed full of beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, which is the nutrients converted to make vitamin A, the vitamin to help your immune system. As well as being vitamin A rich, we add butternut squash to a selection of our healthy recipes, since the nutrition found inside this vegetable can include:
- Contains vitamin C – Combined with zinc, sodium and beta-carotene, vitamin C helps to support bone health. All of these nutrients are found in butternut squash which is why people believe this vegetable can help contribute to healthy bone mass.
- Rich in vitamin A – Vitamin A helps to support the natural functioning of the immune system, which can help to prevent infections and colds.
- Great source of fibre – Fibre is needed in your diet to help aid your digestion.
- Excellent hydrator – Roughly one serving of butternut squash contains 87% water, which is why this vegetable can help to keep you hydrated.
A combination of all these vitamins and minerals are needed to ensure your body receives all the vital nutrients of a balanced diet.
2 Delicious recipes Including Butternut Squash
Now you have learnt how to prepare butternut squash, it’s time to put your new skills into practice with the help of our delicious recipes. The two healthy recipes that we have selected are full of flavour and easy to make. Perfect when you need to feed the whole family.
Tomato, Chilli Venison & Roasted Butternut Wedges
Tuck your fork into our delicious tomato, chilli venison & roasted butternut squash wedges. Richly flavoured but lean, wild British minced venison stews in a comforting sundried tomato and chilli sauce. Spoon it over roasted butternut squash wedges and serve with a simple rocket salad.
- Cook time: 30 mins
- Allergens: Sulphites
- Cuisine: British
- Key ingredient: Flavourful wild British venison
- Calories: 573
- Protein: 40g
- Carbs: 49g
- Fat: 24g
A fabulous meal for a summer’s lunch time or a light spring dinner, our recommended portion size is for two people. This flavourful recipe can be served in as little as 30 minutes, meaning you can spend more quality time with guests or significant others.
Why We Love This Butternut Squash Recipe
This British cuisine not only features nutritious butternut squash, but also red onions. Onions are seen to be nutrient-dense, which means they are high in vitamins and minerals but low in calories. Making onions the perfect addition to any dish. This particular vegetable can also be seen to be rich in B vitamins and a great source of potassium. Potassium is a vital mineral which is often lacking in people’s everyday diet, whereas the B vitamins can play a key role in the production of red blood cells.
Ingredients
To create an easy butternut squash recipe, you will need these ingredients:
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (Sulphites)
- 400g butternut squash
- 1 red chilli
- 2 garlic clove
- 1 red onion
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 200g passata
- 40g rocket
- 2 tbsp Belazu sundried tomato paste
- 180g baby plum tomatoes
- 280g wild venison mince
Butternut Squash Recipe Instructions
To start creating your healthy butternut squash recipe, follow these easy instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 220C / fan 200C / gas mark 7.
- Peel the squash and cut into medium wedges. Place on a lined baking tray and drizzle with 1/2 tbsp oil; season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 25 mins.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and chilli (remove the seeds for less heat). Cut the onion into quarters; dice 3 quarters and reserve 1 quarter for later. Halve the tomatoes.
- Heat a medium pan with 1/2 tbsp oil on a medium heat. Add the garlic and diced onion, then cook for 5 mins, until softened. Add the venison to the pan and fry on a high heat for 5-10 mins, until browned. Turn down the heat and add the oregano, passata, tomato paste, half the chilli, half the vinegar and half the tomatoes. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then simmer for 10 mins, until the sauce has reduced.
- Meanwhile, make the salad; thinly slice the remaining onion and add to a bowl with the rocket, remaining tomatoes, vinegar and 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Mix together.
- Top the squash wedges with the spicy venison mince. Garnish with the remaining chilli and serve with the dressed salad.
Our online blog and social media channels make finding quick and healthy recipes easy! By using these platforms cohesively, we highlight our favourite dishes from all around the world. A selection we can provide you include: Italian cuisines, North American cuisines and Middle Eastern cuisines. By our range of collections, we are sure to provide something for everyone’s taste buds.
Butternut & Lentil Burger with Mushroom Sauce
Wet your appetite with our popular butternut & lentil burger with mushroom sauce. Sweet baked squash and earthy lentils make for mighty delicious burgers – especially when smothered in our creamy mushroom sauce and served on a bed of satisfying quinoa. Serve with a side of green beans to give essential nutrients. This showstopper is a perfect alternative to traditional bbq recipes you may serve at any event you host this summer!
- Cook time: 40 mins
- Allergens: Mustard, Nuts
- Cuisine: European
- Key ingredient: Hearty filling lentils
- Calories: 487
- Protein: 18g
- Carbs: 69g
- Fat: 15g
This popular vegan recipe will go down a treat at any alfresco event during the spring and summer months. We recommend the portion size of this dish is suitable for a family of four. Meaning the whole family can eat a meat free meal while soaking up the sunshine.
Why We Love This Easy Butternut Squash Recipe
Alongside the butternut and lentil burger, this recipe features another healthy ingredient, quinoa. Quinoa has a variety of health benefits, including being gluten-free! This aspect allows numerous people to eat this popular food without compromising on their health. You will also find that quinoa is nutritiously packed full of fibre, magnesium, vitamin B and iron to name but a few. It is for this reason we use quinoa in a range of our healthy gluten free recipes, including this European dish.
Ingredients
Creating an easy European cuisine is simple, but you will need these ingredients:
- 400g butternut squash
- 200ml cashew cream (Nuts)
- 6 tbsp chickpea flour
- 2 garlic clove
- 240g green beans
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 lemon
- 240g black beluga lentils (drained)
- 240g chestnut mushrooms
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard (Mustard)
- 1 red onion
- 1 handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 160g quinoa
- 240g baby plum tomatoes
Butternut Squash Recipe Instructions
To make this healthy dish in less than 45 minutes, follow these easy instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200C / fan 180C / gas mark 6. Peel the squash and dice into 1cm cubes. Place on a lined tray and mix with 1/2 tbsp oil, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 15 mins, until soft and cooked.
- Finely dice the onion. Finely chop the mushrooms. Heat a medium frying pan with 1 tbsp oil on a medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for 3-5 mins, until softened. Remove the pan from the heat then transfer half of the mix into a large bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile, finely chop or crush the garlic. Finely chop the parsley. Halve the baby plum tomatoes. Zest and half the lemon. Drain and rinse the lentils. Add the roasted squash and lentils to the large bowl with the mushrooms and mash well. Stir in the dried herbs, gram flour and half the parsley. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Shape equally into 8 patties.
- Boil a kettle. Rinse the quinoa and place in a saucepan with 600ml lightly salted boiling water. Simmer for 15 mins, then drain.
- Place the tomatoes onto a lined baking tray with 1 tsp olive oil, sea salt & black pepper. Place the patties next to the tomatoes and bake in the oven for 10-15 mins, until the patties are golden and tomatoes soft.
- Put the pan with the remaining mushrooms back over a medium heat. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add the cashew cream and mustard; heat through. Simmer for 5 mins. Meanwhile, trim the beans and cook in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 3-4 mins, then drain.
- Finally, stir the lemon zest, roasted tomatoes & remaining parsley through the drained quinoa. Serve the beans next to the patties and top with the mushroom cream sauce. Garnish with the remaining parsley.
Once you have created this BBQ butternut squash recipe for yourself, share with your close friends on various social media platforms. But remember to tag us! By following us on these channels, you can also discover new nutritious meals we upload to our blog. Our recent highlighted posts include: how to dice an onion, how to chop ginger root and healthy breakfast options. Read them to gain inspiration for your next healthy meal or to discover a new skill!
More from Mindful Chef
Discovered how to prepare butternut squash and want more ways to include it in meals? Find more recipes incorporating butternut squash with the help of Mindful Chef. We have more than 1,000 healthy, delicious recipes available to choose from that you can make each day of the week. Whether you like healthy winter recipes, healthy autumn recipes, healthy summer recipes or healthy spring recipes, we have something delicious for the whole year!
Choosing one of our healthy recipe boxes, makes trying our delicious butternut squash recipes covenant and quick. In need of feeding the whole family? Select our family recipe box, alternatively if you want an all vegan selection, our vegan recipe box is the answer. Simply choose your dishes, pick a delivery date and we take care of the rest! The convenient recipe boxes get delivered to your door and inside you will find fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients with an easy recipe card to follow! What’s more, our entire range is gluten free. Try your first box with Mindful Chef today!