15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (2024)

You will find Winter Squash everywhere this time of year, and with so many varieties and options to try, it’s easy to fall in love with this hearty vegetable. In this roundup I am sharing 15 delicious winter squash recipes that you must try this season!

15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (1)

Table of Contents

  • Acorn Squash
  • Favorite acorn squash recipes from around the web
  • Autumn Frost Squash
  • Favorite Autumn Frost squash recipes from around the web:
  • Butternut Squash
  • Favorite butternut squash recipes from around the web:
  • Delicata Squash
  • Favorite delicata squash recipes from around the web:
  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Favorite spaghetti squash recipes from around the web:
  • Sugar Pumpkins
  • Favorite sugar pumpkin recipes from around the web:

They are hearty, healthy, filling and so versatile, it is almost impossible not to love winter squash.

Winter Squash unlike summer squash is eaten when the seeds within have matured fully and the skin has hardened into a tough rind. Most winter squash is harvested in September or October, before frost.

Besides the fact that winter squash is extremely beautiful and attractive, we tend enjoy it for it’s mild, sweet and earthy flavors without a dose of guilt since they are low-calorie and a good source of complex vegetable carbohydrates and dietary fiber.

In this roundup you will learn about these six varieties of winter squash; acorn, sugar pumpkin, delicata, butternut, autumn frost and spaghetti squash.

I have also selected 15 best winter squash recipes from around the web, that you must try this season!

I hope you enjoy it!

15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (2)
15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (3)

Acorn Squash

Acorn squash has a dark green skin and is shaped like an acorn. The golden-orange flesh offers a mildly sweet flavor and a somewhat dry texture.

Acorn squash are a hard-skinned winter variety. They may be peeled, but are more often cooked with their skin-on. Cut into slices along the natural ribs, toss with oils, spices or herbs and bake or roast.

Acorn squash may be pureed and added to soups, stews, risotto, cakes or other baked goods. Stuff and bake halves with meats, cheese, grains or other vegetables. Acorn squash will keep at room temperature for many weeks.

Favorite acorn squash recipes from around the web

Easy Roasted Acorn Squash – Primavera Kitchen

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash – Primavera Kitchen

15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (4)

Autumn Frost Squash

Autumn Frost yields very attractive, blocky, tawny colored fruit with a dusting of natural waxy bloom

But don’t be fooled by its gourd-like looks because this beauty houses a delicious flesh that is sweet, earthy, and reminiscent of your favorite butternut squash. Perfect for roasting, pies, soups and breads. It is an excellent storage crop, allowing you to enjoy it for long after it’s harvested.

Favorite Autumn Frost squash recipes from around the web:

Simple Roasted Squash Recipe – Garden in the Kitchen

15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (5)

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash has a bell-like shape with a long neck attached to a bulbous end. The smooth skin is very thin, light tan, firm, and is connected to a light brown, rough stem.

When cooked, the flesh of the Butternut squash becomes tender and offers a mild squash flavor with sweet and nutty nuances.

Butternut squash is best suited for roasting, steaming, sautéing, baking, braising, and grilling. It can be sliced into rounds, wedges, or cubes and added to curries, chili, soups, stews, risotto, a filling for tacos, enchiladas, empanadas, and ravioli.

Favorite butternut squash recipes from around the web:

Sausage Stuffed butternut Squash – Garden in the Kitchen

Ground Turkey butternut Squash Skillet – Garden in the Kitchen

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Risotto – Garden in the Kitchen

Butternut Squash Turmeric Soup – Garden in the Kitchen

15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (6)

Delicata Squash

Delicata squash are generally small with a cylindrical shape with grooved skin and lines that run the length of the squash. The thin, smooth skin has a creamy yellow base with green or orange, vertical stripes.

Delicata squash is easy to slice, and the skin is also edible. When cooked Delicata Squash is sweet, rich and moist and can hold it’s shape well through cooking, making it an excellent choice for stuffing with grains, meats, or cheese, and baking and serving as a side dish.

Favorite delicata squash recipes from around the web:

– Garden in the Kitchen

Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe – Foolproof Living

15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (7)

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squashare available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, including ivory, yellow and orange. Its center contains many large seeds.

When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash. When cooked, the flesh come apart in ribbons or strands that look like, and are often used as a healthier option for spaghetti.

Spaghetti squash can be cooked in a variety of ways, including baking, boiling, steaming, or microwaving.

Favorite spaghetti squash recipes from around the web:

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash – Love and Lemons

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash – Green Healthy Cooking

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna – Well Plated

15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (8)

Sugar Pumpkins

Sugar pumpkins are small to medium in size and are round and uniform in shape. The flesh is moist, orange and dense. The cavity is filled with pulp and seeds.

When cooked, sugar pumpkins are tender and buttery with a sweet, earthy, and nutty flavor.

Sugar Pie pumpkins are most commonly used for baking and can be pureed into pies, cheesecake, pancakes, tarts, bread, custards, and flan. In addition to sweet preparations, Sugar Pie pumpkins can be used in savory dishes such as soups, hollowed out, stuffed, and baked similarly to acorn squash, cubed and roasted as a side dish, or sliced into wedges and grilled.

Favorite sugar pumpkin recipes from around the web:

Maple Sugar Pumpkin Pie – Taste of Home

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars – Sugar Apron

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Pumpkin Muffins – Simply Delicious Food

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15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (10)

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15 Best Winter Squash Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the most delicious squash? ›

  1. 1 • Delicata / Sweet Dumpling. These are the most delectable of the pepo squashes, often much sweeter than their close cousins, the green acorns. ...
  2. 2 • Kabocha. ...
  3. 3 • Butternut. ...
  4. 4 • Acorn. ...
  5. 5 • Spaghetti. ...
  6. 6 • Buttercup. ...
  7. 7 • Hubbard.

What is the difference between acorn squash and butternut squash? ›

The most obvious difference between butternut and acorn squash is the size and shape of each. Butternut squash has an elongated, pear-like shape with a relatively uniform thickness throughout its length. This larger size results in a greater yield of flesh compared to acorn squash.

Do you have to cure winter squash before eating? ›

For the best-quality squash, wait to harvest all types until they are mature — at least 50–55 days after the fruit has set — and cure before storing and eating.

What is the sweetest winter squash? ›

Over the past several years, butternut squash has become a standard ingredient on menus as the star in a creamy soup, ravioli filling, or risotto flavor. It is the sweetest winter squash with a thick, bright orange, moist flesh that hides very few seeds.

What winter squash tastes like sweet potato? ›

The delicata squash has a moist, creamy yellow flesh that tastes and smells like a blend of corn, butternut squash and sweet potato. It is often referred to as the sweet potato squash. They are best eaten when steamed or baked.

What is the most common winter squash? ›

Butternut. One of the most ubiquitous winter squash, this variety requires a bit of prep work, but it's well worth the effort. The smooth, tan skin should be peeled (it's edible, but tough), and then the seeds should be removed.

Which tastes better butternut or acorn squash? ›

Acorn squash is milder in taste and slightly more fibrous in texture than butternut squash: Its sweet, nutty flavor is additionally muted by the watery character of its flesh. Still, most recipes that call for acorn squash can be made with another members of the squash family, such as Hubbard or butternut.

Why is acorn squash so good? ›

This squash has a lot of antioxidants, which can boost your immunity and help your body to fight off certain diseases. Acorn squash contains antioxidants like vitamin C that help strengthen bones and blood vessels. It also has vitamin A, which helps improve the health of your lungs, heart and other vital organs.

What's the healthiest squash? ›

In addition to vitamins A and C, butternut squash is also rich in carotenoid plant pigments and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Like acorn squash, butternut squash can be used in both savory and sweet dishes, such as baked goods, grain dishes, and soups.

What squash is least sweet? ›

Spaghetti Squash: This variety is cylindrical in shape with pale to bright yellow skin and yellow flesh. Once cooked, the flesh is stringy like noodles and the flavor is quite mild and not as sweet.

Which is healthier acorn or butternut squash? ›

Acorn squash: It has less vitamin A than butternut but provides even more fiber (9 grams per cup) and potassium (896 mg).

Can you eat too much winter squash? ›

While the high beta-carotene content in squash can provide many benefits, studies also suggest that consuming too much of this compound can increase the risk of lung cancer.

Can you eat winter squash right after picking? ›

Types with thin skins – delicata (my favorite!), acorn, and spaghetti should be eaten within two months of harvest, whereas butternuts and hubbard types can store for anywhere from 4 – 8 months. Most varieties will not be sweet unless you really do allow for at least a few weeks to a month of curing.

Where is the best place to store winter squash? ›

Storage Conditions

Squash store best at an even 50°F in a dark place. This could be a cool and dark shelf, cabinet, or drawer in the kitchen, pantry, or closet. They also store well in a warmer section of the root cellar such as on the top shelf.

What tastes better butternut or buttercup squash? ›

To make things even more confusing, they actually taste pretty similar: both are often described as having a sweet, nutty taste that goes well with soups (although butternut squash is just slightly sweeter).

What is the best winter squash to grow? ›

Delicata, along with butternut, is a choice that may be easier to grow than some. Choose one of the many buttercup, kabocha, or hubbard types from A.P. Whaley seed company or Fedco. The blue/green color squashes on this baking sheet are the 'Baby Blue Hubbard' variety, which will grow well in northern climates.

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