Sneaky Butternut Squash Puree Cubes

So...anyone have a picky eater in their family?

I know I cannot be the only one. Bundle's pickiness comes and goes, but when it goes, yikes. There is NO getting her to eat what she needs! Unless....I am very, very sneaky.

Has anyone heard of this book??



Jessica Seinfeld is a genius! Basically, she developed and wrote about how to puree and freeze mixtures of different vegetables and fruits and sneak them into all kinds of dishes. All her recipes include a puree or two of veggies and/or fruits! It's awesome!

Over the weekend, I had to bribe Bundle with watermelon to eat anything with more substance than water. Yesterday I decided to try this pureeing and freezing process with butternut squash. Since I had a butternut squash on hand, I thought I'd put Jessica Seinfeld's advice to work by adding my frozen butternut squash puree to a basic Italian pasta dish.

Guess what? The picky Bundle DEVOURED it. In fact, she cleaned her plate twice, and there were absolutely NO leftovers! Now that's what I'm talking about!

I'm sure there are many ways to do this, but here is my tutorial for creating a butternut squash puree that can go into about any dish unnoticed.

Enjoy with all your little or big picky bundles of joy.


Sneaky Butternut Squash Puree Cubes

Things You Need:

1 large butternut squash
A couple tablespoons of water
Cutting board
Large knife
Large metal spoon
Greased baking tray
Blender
1 ice cube tray
Fork
Oven preheated to 350 degrees F

How To:

Start by slicing your squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with the large metal spoon, and discard them.

Place each half inside-up on the greased baking tray. I used an olive oil spray to grease. It leaves a more savory flavor than regular baking spray and keeps the squash from burning or sticking to the bottom of the tray.

Bake for an hour and a half, poking holes in the tops of the squash halves with the fork at the half-way mark (forty-five minutes). This just ensures air can escape during the baking process. Yes, that seems like a long time to bake, but I'm sure you can find something fun to do in the meantime...

After baking completely and cooling for a few minutes, slice each half lengthwise and width-wise, almost like you would an avocado or mango. Then using a spoon, remove the skin from the flesh of the squash.

 I kind of mangled the first squash half, but once you get used to the peeling the skin, it gets a lot easier. Place the pieces of squash (skin removed) in the blender.

Add a couple tablespoons of water and puree on low until you get a nice smooth consistency. 

After pureeing, spoon the squash into the ice cube compartments. Freeze and use in any dish you desire! I added two cubes to that pasta dish Bundle loved so much. Feel free to use more. We couldn't even tell there was squash in it!

If you're feeling brave, see if anyone in your family will eat it pre-pureed. No go? Just throw in a cube or two in your next Mac 'n' Cheese or pizza sauce! :) 

Being stealthily nutritious can be a lot of fun!


Enjoy with life, and read Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious!  <3