This delicious squash was a side dish to a Rosemary Garlic Pork Roast with Cranberry Apple Pear Sauce that I made last weekend. Let’s just say, it was a yummy meal! Butternut squash is a favorite of mine and this dish was something my mom made for Thanksgiving almost every year when I was a kid. Back then, we called it squash with sour cream and onions, but these days we call it Smashing Squash, named appropriately by my niece who also loves this dish.
Start out with a good sized butternut squash or a couple of small ones. The hardest part of this recipe is cutting through the thick skin of this squash, followed by the peeling. I’ve tried all kinds of methods to cook butternut but usually end of chopping and peeling, then boiling. An alternative cooking method is to split the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out all the seeds, then place cut side down on a cookie sheet with some water. Bake this in the oven for about an hour at 350 until it is soft all the way through. Then, scoop out the flesh and compost the peels. I’ve also cooked one of these butternut’s whole in a crock pot. That came out good too, but was a bit messy to deal with. There really is no perfect or easy way in my opinion – chose what works best for you.
Love that nice, orange flesh of the butternut – that is when the flavor is best.
Once you get the seeds all scooped out and the pieces peeled, chop them into 1-2 inch chunks and put them in a stock pot. Sometimes I save the seeds and roast them like pumpkin seeds. I usually do this when I have a lot of seeds, sometimes a mixture of pumpkin and squash. This time I was in a bit of a hurry, so into the compost they went instead.
Add some water to the pot, so that it’s about 3/4’s full. Then cover and cook over medium heat. You want the water to come to a boil and simmer along without boilng over and making a mess. Medium heat usually works well for this on my stove, but adjust yours according to how your stove heats. After 30 minutes, poke a couple pieces with a fork to see if they are soft.
Once they are soft, drain the liquid. I like to save the liquid and add to my freezer container of broth to be used later in soup.
Next, we are going to add in 1/2 large onion chopped fine and 1 cup of sour cream to the squash and mash it all together.
Once it’s all mixed up, pour it into a baking dish. I like to use this round baking dish that was my grandmother’s, but anything will work – pie plate, square or rectangle ceramic baker, even a cast iron pan. Top with a little salt and pepper if you like.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. Serve hot.
Although it’s delicious when served hot out of the oven, I think this tastes best when made one day ahead. It can be mixed up and put in the fridge, ready to bake the next day. Or, you can bake it and refrigerate, then just re-heat the next day. Either way, it is delicious!
Smashing Squash
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 small/medium or 1/2 large onion chopped fine
- 1 cup sour cream more or less to taste
Instructions
- Chop, peel, and remove seeds from butternut squash.
- Add squash to stock pot and fill 3/4's full with water.
- Cover and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until squash is soft.
- Drain squash, reserving liquid for another use.
- Add onion and sour cream to the drained squash and mash/mix well.
- Pour into a baking dish.
- Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.