Essential Squashes to Savor This Fall
FOOD & HOME
Essential Squashes to Savor This Fall
BY: Tanya Flink
Pumpkins receive the biggest PR push this time of year, but they aren’t the only squash that deserves the spotlight. Butternut, acorn, kabocha, and spaghetti squashes are stocked in abundance right now, and each is worth savoring. Granted, while extremely versatile, this family of produce are not the easiest plants to prepare. Here is how to make the most out of squash season from recipe ideas to how to safely hack through these tough vegetables.
Butternut Squash
Known for its sweetness, butternut squash is one of the most common squash varieties aside from pumpkin. It’s fairly versatile, affordable, and readily accessible. Little known fact: most canned pumpkin products contain some butternut puree to naturally enhance the flavor. Butternuts are large, tan-colored gourds with a squat, bulbous end and a long neck. They can go either sweet or savory and appear in a seemingly infinite variety of preparations from soups to salads to pies and mains. They’re not the easiest squash to prep, but you can always sidestep that and purchase chopped squash at many grocers.
How to Prepare Butternut Squash
Due to its awkward shape, butternuts are one of the most challenging squashes to prep. Further, the skin is thick, so it requires peeling as well. If you are going to use the squash in a puree, simply roast the entire squash in the oven until soft, allow to cool enough to touch, then cut lengthwise. Scrap out the seeds and strands and the flesh is ready to scoop out and add to your favorite soup, pie, or sauce. If you don’t plan to use it in a puree, follow these steps. Stand the squash upright and cut off just enough (typically less than a quarter inch) from one side of the bulbous stem to create a flat edge. Lay the squash on its side, flat side against the cutting board, and saw off the neck from the bulb. Peel both pieces of the squash. Next, cut each piece in half, again using the flat sides to stabilize the squash on the board as you cut. Remove the seeds and strands, then chop into your desired shape (cubes, crescents, etc).
Alternatively, if you plan to stuff both sides of the squash, create a flat edge on the bottom of the bulbous side and stand the squash straight up. Carefully cut the squash lengthwise, using the flat end as an anchor. Remove the seeds and strands, roast until tender, then stuff with your favorite filling. We love using a mixture of wild rice or cornbread stuffing!
Acorn Squash
Is it just us, or does it feel like acorn squash showed up in a big way within the past 10 years? Regardless, we’re continuing to see it on fall restaurant menus and countless recipe posts this season. Acorn squashes are carried by most grocers and are relatively small in size—about two fists’ worth. They tend to be dark green with a bit of orange shading and look like acorns in the fact that they are wider on the top and taper at the bottom. While the taste profile runs sweet, it’s imperative to pick a good one, as they have a reputation for being a bit bland. Look for bright coloring, smooth skin, and a smaller-sized squash to pick a winner. Note: the skin is fairly tough, so while technically you can eat it, it’s not the most pleasant experience. Save the skin for the compost.
How to Prepare Acorn Squash
These squashes can be blended into a soup or chopped up for a hash, but they really shine when roasted and stuffed. Most serve as perfect portions for one, making them a go-to for dinner parties or family gatherings. To prep, cut about an inch off the top (where the stem is) and remove the seeds and strings. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and roast in a 400-degree oven until fork-tender. From there, it’s ready to stuff with whatever you’re in the mood for. We love cooking up our Chopped Chick’n to a golden brown, seasoning with sage and thyme, mixing it with sauteed shaved brussels sprouts and dried cranberries, and stuffing it into the roasted squash. Serve with mushroom gravy for a Thanksgiving-ready main.
Spaghetti Squash
Unlike other squash varieties, this bulbous yellow plant is really only great at one thing: replicating spaghetti strands. When roasted, the flesh breaks apart into noodle-like strands, creating a nutrient-dense, low-calorie base to a medley of toppings and sauces. Spaghetti squashes are large, oblong, and bright to pale yellow in color. Note: the biggest squash isn’t always the tastiest. Smaller varieties tend to be sweeter while the enormous ones may be more bland.
How to prepare spaghetti squash
There are two methods to extract tender noodles from this squash: you can bake the squash whole or cut it in half and roast it. We prefer not to handle hot squash, so we’ll walk you through the latter option. First, cut off a quarter inch from one of the shorter sides of the squash. This is your base. Next, stand the squash upright (cut-side down on the cutting board) and carefully cut the squash in halves using a sharp chef’s knife. Remove the seeds and strings then place the two halves on a baking sheet cut side up. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil and roast at 400 degrees until the squash is fork-tender. Allow to cool just slightly so you can touch it, then run a fork through the flesh and pull out the strands. Discard the skin. We recommend topping your spaghetti squash with a pre-cooked sauce (like our “Beef” bolognese) instead of cooking it further, as it tends to let out a lot of water and get soggy.
Kabocha Squash
There has been more than one occasion when we’ve called this gourd a kombucha squash, but like this fizzy probiotic drink, we are equally enthralled with kabochas. This variety is typically on the larger side, ranging anywhere from the size of two man’s fists to head-sized. Look for a dark green, short but wide squash—like if a green pumpkin grew outwards instead of up. Kabocha squash is sweeter than a pumpkin but more savory than a butternut, making it deliciously versatile.
How to Prepare Kabocha Squash
Once the seeds and strings are removed, kabocha squash can be used in a variety of dishes, just like pumpkin. If washed, you can even eat the skin, so there’s no need to go through the hassle of peeling (unless you’re blending it into a soup). One of the simplest ways to enjoy kabocha squash is to slice it into half-inch wide crescents and roast until sweet and golden. You can also add raw, thinly sliced crescents to a bowl of ramen, simmer chopped kabocha in a coconut-based curry; or peel and blend into a silky kabocha soup. If you’d like to try going sweet, add some kabocha puree to your pumpkin pie recipe or roast crescents of kabocha with a little olive oil, a dash of cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
For more plant-based food guides, check out the other posts in Our Journal.