One of the only ways I truly enjoyed eating vegetables as a kid was when my mom made “ginataang kalabasa” — a simple Filipino dish comprised of softened butternut squash and green beans cooked in a sweet coconut milk broth.
I would eat it over rice, mashing the squash and letting the rice absorb the coconut milk broth to create the perfect bite-sized moment. The memories of mashing that gloriously soft butternut squash inspired this mashed butternut squash recipe, which combines the structure of mashed potatoes with the flavors of ginataang kalabasa to create a dish that is sweet and simple!
Mashed Butternut Squash
- Prep Time:10 mins
- Cook Time:20 mins
- Total Time:30 mins
- Servings:6
- Easy
- 2 pounds butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch cube ginger minced
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Salt
- Candied pecans for serving
Ingredients
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Step 1
Chop up 2 pounds of butternut squash into 2 inch cubes and set aside.
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Step 2
Heat a medium pot of water over high heat. Once the water starts boiling, toss in the butternut squash and cook until the squash is very soft (around 15 to 20 minutes).
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Step 3
While the squash cooks, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
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Step 4
Once melted, sautée the onion, garlic, and ginger until they are softened and aromatic.
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Step 5
To the mixture, add in 1 cup of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons if sugar, and salt to taste. Allow it to simmer and slightly thicken. Once thickened, turn off the heat.
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Step 6
When the squash is soft, drain the water out of the pot. Return the squash to the pot and mash the squash in the pot.
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Step 7
Once mashed, turn the heat to medium-high, and immediately add in the coconut milk mixture.
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Step 8
Whisk everything together and let the mixture bubble for a minute or two. This is meant to allow the mixture to thicken and let off any excess water/moisture.
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Step 9
Serve and enjoy with candied pecans on top!