A Guide to Winter Squash

Thursday, October 22, 2020

It's finally the time of year for winter squash! Winter squash varieties tend to have a thicker skin that their summertime cousins, which helps them have a much longer shelf life. Keep reading to learn more about our 4 favorite kinds of winter squash, and for a couple recipes! 

Butternut

Butternut is the squash that tastes most like pumpkin! Fun fact: a lot of pumpkin purée that you'll find at the grocery store is actually mostly puréed butternut.

Whole butternuts can be a bit daunting to cut, but the trick is to keep them steady. Cut a small portion off the bottom of the squash so that you can hold it flat to the cutting board while you cut it in half. You can remove the outer layer by using a vegetable peeler.  

HERB-ROASTED BUTTERNUT WITH PECANS 

 INGREDIENTS:

• 8—10 oz 1-inch diced butternut
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF
• Add butternut, rosemary & thyme to a sheet pan and toss with 2 Tbsp olive oil and salt & pepper to taste
• Roast 18—20 min, tossing halfway through, then add pecans and toss again and roast 3—5 more min, until squash is tender and browned

Delicata

We are especially fond of delicata squash because you don't have to worry about peeling the outer layer! That's right, this squash has skin that actually tastes good. Plus, it's smaller and easier to handle than most other kinds of winter squash. 

ROASTED DELICATA WITH GOAT CHEESE 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 delicata squash (around 10 oz)
• 3 Tbsp goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp craisins
• 1 Tbsp chopped sage
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 425ºF
• Cut top (stem) and bottom off your squash to create flat edges, then cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds
• Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (these will look like half moons) 
• Toss with olive oil and salt & pepper, then roast 30—35 min, tossing halfway through
• Once squash has cooled a bit, arrange on a plate and crumble goat cheese on top, then sprinkle on craisins & sage 

Acorn

Surprise! You don't have to worry about peeling acorn squash, either! Just like delicata, it's smaller and easier to handle with thinner skin that is much more enjoyable to eat than that of, say, butternut. Since delicata and acorn squash are so similar, you can pretty much use whichever you'd like in the recipe above for Roasted Delicata with Goat Cheese. Try it out with both kinds of squash and see which one you like best!

Spaghetti

Spaghetti squash is well-known for it's noodle-like insides! (So pasta, but healthy.) All you've got to do is roast it, then simply scoop out the insides and serve with your favorite pasta toppings.

Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, poke a few holes in the skin with a fork, scoop the seeds out of the center, then drizzle lightly with olive oil, minced garlic, salt & pepper and roast in the oven at 400ºF for about 40 min. Once you've let your squash cool a bit, you can scoop your "noodles" out with a fork.

We recommend serving topped with sautéed ground beef and Frik & Frak's Holla Vodka Sauce for an easy dinner!