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Butternut Squash Mock Yams
November 24, 2023

After years of disappointing crops of sweet potatoes, I finally gave up growing them in our garden. Our sweet potato plants would get off to a good start each season. Then our usual summer dry spell would occur followed by heavy rains that caused the sweet potatoes to split.

But along the way, I found a nice substitute for sweet potato yams, butternut squash mock yams. They're easy to make, filled with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and absolutely delicious. All the brown sugar and marshmallows in them does shoot up the dishes' calorie content.

Removing cap and seed cavity
Squash sliced to inch plus and then skinned

Two large butternutsA batch of butternut yams to fill a 9" x 13" baking dish usually takes two or three large butternut squash. Shown at left are a couple of huge butternuts from our 2023 garden, a South Anna Butternut in front and a Waltham Butternut behind it. Size of the squash doesn't really matter, though, as you're going to cut them up anyway.

For years, I boiled the squash to soften their hide and then peeled them. I still had to trim off underripe butternut around the sides of the squash. So this year, I began cutting off the cap and seed cavity of each squash, pitching the cap, but retaining the seed cavity.

I then cut the body of the squash into inch plus sections and cut off the rind and underripe flesh at the edge of the squash. Note the light yellow flesh around the edge of the squash slices. You want all of that cut off. That was easy with the squash shown, as they were really ripe.

Cut and seasoned squash piecesI cut the squash into inch and a quarter or inch and a half pieces and add them to a baking dish. (Wow! Has Corningware gotten expensive!) Today's batch was just for my wife and I, so I only cut one squash that filled a two liter casserole dish.

Dark brown sugar and marshmallows addedI then seasoned the squash with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. As you may see, I was generous with the nutmeg, not so much with the salt and pepper.

And now the calories! I sprinkled about five or six tablespoons of dark brown sugar over the squash before covering it all with marshmallows. I usually use full sized marshmallows pulled in half, but the mini marshmallows were on sale this week. I think the big marshmallows make a better looking end product, but either way, it tastes the same.

I baked today's dish for an hour at 375°F. Anywhere from 325 to 375 should do. Testing the squash with a fork for softness will determine if it is done. Also, I like the big marshmallows to brown just a bit.

Some of the butternut yams we've done recently and in the past in different sizes of baking dishes are shown below. For large family gatherings, I usually use a thirteen inch long baking pan.

Today's yams in Corningware 2 liter casserole Yams in eight inch square pan Yams in thirteen inch pan

I really hate online recipes that don't give amounts, but here I am doing the same. This is a seat-of-the-pants recipe where you put in what looks and feels right.

Botanical Interests Burpee Gardening Required FTC Disclosure Statement: Botanical Interests, Burpee, Renee's Garden, and True Leaf Market are some of our Senior Gardening affiliate advertisers. Clicking through one of our ads or text links and making a purchase will produce a small commission for us from the sale. Renee's Garden True Leaf Market
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