When I was a freshman in college, my stress came in the form of upset stomachs. Every Monday, like clockwork, my stomach would feel horrible and churn-y. To help with the stress rollicking around in my stomach, N would make me (at my sickly request) a bowl of instant mashed potatoes. The carbs would soak up the bad stuff, and I would be fine until the following Monday.
It’s been quite a while since those stressful stomach days and quite a while since we’ve had instant mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are on my list of comfort foods, but because of it’s underwhelming nutrition, mashed spuds are not in heavy rotation on my table.
Lucky for us, potatoes are not the only thing that works swimmingly mashed. Kabocha mashes wonderfully. Roast it for about 30-45 minutes (depending on its size) and that squash will so effortlessly separate from it’s skin and mash under a fork. And kabocha, as I mentioned last week, is chock full of fiber, vitamin A and C, and doesn’t spike your blood sugar and make you want to take a nap, unlike your average potato.
With those winter holidays approaching, this would be a perfect and healthy swap for some of those food coma inducing dishes that almost always appear on the table. If you’re cooking this for a small table and want to jazz up your leftovers, combine the mashed squash and a cup or two of broth into a blender and make some soup!
Want more Kabocha dishes from this series? You can find them here:
Nutrition DL: Kabocha Squash
Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Sriracha Yogurt Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 kabocha squash, seeded and halved
- olive oil, for roasting
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2-4 tsp chipotle (depending on your heat preference)
- salt, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400. Rub olive oil on all sides of kabocha halves and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 minutes, until fork tender.
Allow to cool slightly. Scoop flesh out, or, use a spoon to separate the flesh from the skin (this works best if some of the skin has already separated from the flesh).
Transfer flesh into a bowl and mash with a bean masher or fork. Add maple syrup, chipotle, and salt. Serve immediately.