This roasted mashed butternut is the perfect side dish for any meal! Both sweet and savory, it’s made with cinnamon and garlic for an amazing flavor that will surprise you. With a few simple ingredients, you can make this squash recipe any time of the year.
My husband was afraid to try this because he didn’t think he liked butternut squash and nothing makes me happier than proving him wrong. 😉 Mission accomplished. He’s now a fan.
Out here in Pennsylvania, we’ve reached freezing overnight temperatures and it’s time for us to mumble a small prayer into our pumpkin spiced lattes (or shots of tequila, whathaveyou) that we make it through another brutal winter. For you Southwesterners (my homies), you can join us by praying that you at least get a slight cool breeze at some point before January.
We have all our winter grumbles: Too much winter. It’s too hot for winter. Why did I buy a red coat that doesn’t go with anything? #realproblems
This mashed butternut squash recipe is easier to make than you’d think.
Cut the squash in half. Sprinkle with a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Roast. Mash. Devour.
I wanted to bring out the natural buttery flavor of the squash but I also wanted to go for a sweet & salty taste with just a touch of spice. Bring on the cinnamon! I was a little afraid to add garlic to the sweet cinnamon taste but the results were amazing!
How to roast butternut squash:
Slice it in half lengthwise and then scoop out the seeds and pulp. It’s just like carving a pumpkin but only takes a minute.
Then you place it face up on a baking sheet and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, dark brown sugar, and some pats of butter. No real science here, you just throw it on!
Then you roast it for about 40 minutes, depending on the size of your squash. Little squash = short amount of time. Big squash = you get it.
If you’re making this for Thanksgiving dinner, you can do the roasting the night before and then make the mash the day of. Easy, right?
This is what it looks like when it’s done roasting. I wanted you to see it so you won’t think this is a burnt look. This looks juuusst right.
Let it cool, scoop out the butternut squash away from the skin, then mash it up up with some seasonings, and voila…mashed butternut squash!
Winter is all better now.
PrintMashed Butternut Squash with Cinnamon and Garlic
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash*, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 fresh clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon 100% pure maple syrup (so snobby)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Place the squash halves face up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dark brown sugar. Take a pat of butter and break it into pieces and put on 1 half of the squash. Repeat another pat of butter on the other half.
- Roast squash for approximately 30-45 minutes. Squash is done when you can easily poke the tip of a knife through it. It should feel soft and not give the knife any resistance.
- Let squash cool to the touch and then scoop out the squash away from the skin with a large spoon. You can mash it at this point or you can store it in a plastic container in the fridge until the next day.
The Mashing
- Microwave the squash until hot.
- Add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cream, cinnamon, maple syrup, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix together with an electric hand mixer or hand mash together until creamy. Add additional salt or butter to taste.
- Store up to 2 days in refrigerator.
Notes
*The squash I used for this recipe was about 1.5 lbs. If you use a larger squash, increase the other ingredients as necessary, otherwise the recipe might taste too bland.
More great recipes at www.thekitchensnob.com
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
Looking for more recipes for fall? Check ’em out…
Pumpkin Banana Bread with Cinnamon Swirl
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina & Gruyere
Cranberry Apple Sauce
Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Shallots
Fall Spiced Cranberry Muffins with Tangerine Glaze
The Greatest Pumpkin Pie – seriously!
Pumpkin Pie Cream Cheese Spread
Kicked Up Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Pops with Whipped Cream & Gingersnap Swirl
Libby
This is so good! Perfect comfort food. I’m going to make this again this Thanksgiving.
Gardengirl
I DID make this for our holiday party for one of our quilt groups and everyone enjoyed it! It turned out great and has a wonderful flavor! Thanks!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
What a beautiful Fall recipe. I don’t have butternut squash enough in my life, actually I pretty much never do, so thanks for the opportunity to add something new to my recipe list!
Hope you’re doing well, love seeing new posts from you. 🙂
The Kitchen Snob
Hi Pamela! I’m doing great! Now that I made my first recipe, I want to eat more of it.
Gardengirl
I would have also said (like your Hungry Husband), that I did not like butternut squash…however…that looks SO GOOD that I AM going to try it! Also I love the fall leaves…so leave them in there!!!!
The Kitchen Snob
Thanks, Gardengirl! I’ll be curious to hear what you think.