Foodie Fridays: Microwave Winter Squash

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I recently discovered the quickest and easiest way to prepare winter squash purée, and I just had to share it!  I have tried growing butternut squash in my garden here in New Mexico but they do not do well - I would only get a couple of squashes and they were always tiny.  This summer I tried a different variety called buttercup squash and and had a bit more success.  I ended up with seven full-sized squashes - they are similar in size to an acorn squash but shaped differently (see above).

Now that I had my winter squash, I wanted to find the best way to cook them for purée.  At first I thought I would roast them, so I looked up a recipe for roasting, which recommended piercing the squash with a fork and microwaving it first because this would soften the squash enough to cut it in half for roasting.  I did this and discovered that one of the squashes actually cooked through completely in the microwave, so I quickly looked for a method for just cooking winter squash in the microwave.  It turns out that microwaving winter squash is the quickest and easiest way to cook them, and from now on I will always cook them this way!

Use this method if you are looking to make unseasoned winter squash purée, which is what I needed (use this purée in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin, such as soups and baked goods).  Sometimes at my age I feel like I have pretty much seen everything, so I love it when I learn something new and prove myself wrong! 😄

... to this!

Microwave Winter Squash

1 winter squash (butternut, buttercup, acorn, etc.)

Wash the squash and pierce several times with a fork.  Put on a plate and microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes.  Remove from the microwave and cut in half.  Remove the seeds and strings.

If the squash flesh is soft, scrape it out of the shell.  If the flesh is still hard, place the halves back on the plate, cut side down, and pour 1-2 T. water on the plate.  Microwave on HIGH 5 more minutes.  The squash should soften, but if it is still hard microwave a few minutes longer until soft enough to scoop out of the shell.  Amount of purée will vary depending upon the size of the squash.

Note: If using smaller squashes, you can microwave two at once.