How to Cut a Butternut Squash

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Butternut squash can be prepared a variety of ways. Most commonly the squash is cut into cubes and roasted. If you have ever attempted to cut into a butternut squash, you are aware this is a difficult task due to the density of the vegetable and the thickness of its skin.

Cut off both the bottom and top ends of the squash. According to directions on Simply Recipes, about 1/4 inch should be cut from both sides. This is done in part to cut of the stem and the non-edible bottom of the squash as well as to create stability for the next round of cutting.

Hold the squash in your weaker hand and peel the skin of the squash off with the vegetable peeler. Peel from the neck of the squash to the bottom. The skin of the squash is typically lighter in color than the inside of the squash. The more skin you can remove, the easier it will be to cut the squash.

Slice the peeled squash in half from top to bottom. This is easiest to do when the squash is sitting on its flat bottom.

Spoon out the seeds and the pulp from the lower cavity of the squash from both halves. After scraping the squash, the area filled with seeds should appear clean and smooth.

Lay both halves of squash so that the cut side is facing down. Cut each in half from left to right. You should end up with four pieces, the top two halves and the bottom two halves.

Take each quarter and slice from top to bottom 1-inch wide pieces. These pieces can be sliced again to make smaller cubes. The size of the cubes you end up with depends on your preference. The smaller the cubes, the faster they cook.