Butternut Squash Mash with Smoked Paprika

Smoked paprika makes this butternut squash mash recipe a real stand-out. Perfect for your Thanksgiving table or as a healthy side dish any day of the week. 

I’ve always loved butternut squash. Despite my disdain for peeling it, butternut squash remains one of my favorite vegetables. And once my mom told me “your vegetable peeler is horrible,” and bought me a new one, the task of peeling the squash suddenly became a lot less tedious. Go figure! It’s funny when you’re used to something being so crappy that when you move to something that is functional, it’s like a miracle. A dream come true. A life saver!

Yes, I am this excited about a vegetable peeler.

Update:  I discovered that if you cook the butternut squash in a slow cooker, you can skip the peeling altogether! Take a look at this easy cooking method!

How beautiful would that butternut squash look on your Thanksgiving table? I can’t get over how gorgeous it is.  I added a nice little chunk of butter but you could easily make this as healthy as you want. Butternut squash is naturally very creamy. You could even make this recipe a vegan side dish by omitting the butter and using vegetable broth instead of milk.

Me, I’ll stick with butter.

But even without butter, you still get tons of great flavor from the smoked paprika. You could even add a little more. Sometimes I’m a little iffy on smoked paprika so I always play it on the conservative side. You can always add more to taste, but you can’t remove it once it is in there!

But you could add more butter. So there’s that.

Butternut squash mash can easily be made ahead. You can store it, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It will taste just as perfect as the day you made it, which makes it a great side dish for Thanksgiving. Just reheat it in the microwave or oven when you’re ready to serve it. 

Craving more butternut squash? Try:

• Quinoa, Bacon and Kale Stuffed Butternut Squash
• Moroccan Slow Cooker Chicken
• Spicy Sweet Roasted Butternut Squash
• Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
• Copycat Panera Squash Soup (but a little more healthy!)
• Farro Salad with Butternut Squash, Bacon and Cranberries

Verdict: E and I loved this butternut squash mash. Ben wasn’t wild about it. He ate it but prefers it with brown sugar and cinnamon. Can’t say I blame him – brown sugar and cinnamon are always a good decision.
Changes I would make: None.
Difficulty: Easy.

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