butternut squash - insides

[Anonymous]

I'm squash illiterate.

I got this butternut squash that was quite small. When I cut it open, the inside where the seeds are was kind of solid, not pulpy like a pumpkin would be (or how I thought butternut squashes were supposed to be)... Is the squash still going to be good if I cook it in a gratin-type dish?

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. Hard to tell what to do from this description.

Are you able to scoop out the part with the seeds? You should be left with the firm fleshy part which you can peel and cut up and cook (not sure how your recipe says to prepare it). I would look online for recipes with pictures and see if you can figure out if your squash is ok. I have to admit I have gotten very lazy and now usually buy the precut butternut squash for squash soup. It's been a while since I got a fresh whole one.

[Anonymous]

If it's really small, it won't have that much of the pulpy stuff - just take out anything that looks like seeds, etc. and you just have a very meaty squash. Good luck. The gratin is good!!