Instructions

1. Cook the butternut squash until tender and soft. The squash is quite hard before cooking and must be soft before you can mash it, just as a potato must be soft to make mashed potatoes. You can cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes to boil, steam, roast or saute it, but the easiest way to cook it is to simply cut it in half lengthwise, drizzle it with a bit of oil and bake it for about 30 minutes until you can easily insert a fork in the flesh. It only takes about 15 minutes to soften cubed butternut squash using other cooking methods.

2. Scoop the soft butternut squash flesh out of the shells with a hard spoon if you baked it. Cut the squash into smaller pieces, about 1 inch in size.

3. Season the butternut squash to taste. Try basic salt and pepper, spice it up with some cayenne pepper, or give it a sweet flavor profile with a bit of cinnamon and maple syrup or brown sugar. Splash in some milk and butter, if desired, to make the squash creamy.

4. Mash the squash with a potato masher or a fork to break up the larger pieces. If you prefer a chunky texture, only light mashing is required. Some chunks are to be expected in a mashed squash dish.