Don’t be intimidated by these extraordinary winter squash! Fanciful shapes, stripes, bumps, and warts, these attractive greens are as tasty as they’re fairly. In case your solely winter squash expertise is pumpkin pie, it’s time to strive one thing new.
13 Winter Squashes to Cook dinner and Take pleasure in
There are a lot of kinds of winter squash out there which can be versatile, wholesome, and scrumptious. The following time you’re out purchasing for a pumpkin, preserve a watch out for one among these yummy kinds of winter squash.
Butternut Squash
Should you’re new to squash and uncertain the place to start out, I might advocate starting with butternut squash. It’s my go-to! Butternut squash could be very straightforward to peel and minimize, and it tastes completely scrumptious.
Butternut squash is flexible and doesn’t style overly candy. Most markets have butternut out there year-round, making it a terrific starter squash for these new to cooking with this winter vegetable. Though it has a lighter texture and taste when cooked, butternut squash can be utilized rather than candy potatoes in recipes.
See extra on learn how to prepare dinner with butternut squash.
Sugar Pumpkin
Have you ever observed that these large pumpkins offered throughout Halloween lack any substantial flesh? That’s as a result of they have been bred to be carved and never eaten. As a substitute, sugar pumpkins are small, have thick, flesh-packed partitions and have a particular “pumpkin” flavour.
If you wish to skip the canned pumpkin on your baking and make your individual purée, then a sugar pumpkin is the squash for you.
To arrange these pumpkins, you’ll need to minimize them in half after which scoop out the seeds. Don’t overlook to roast the seeds (like these extremely addictive pumpkin seeds).
As soon as cleaned, put it in a baking tray with the minimize aspect dealing with up. Within the baking tray, add about an inch of water. Go away the pumpkin within the oven till you possibly can piece the flesh with a fork, and it feels good and tender.
Let it cool, after which scoop out the pulp from the within. And voila! You’ve made your self some puree to make pies, scones, muffins, creme brulee, or different desserts.
Spaghetti Squash
For low-carb lovers, spaghetti squash is available in an in depth second to zucchini as their favorite versatile vegetable. Its flesh is tender and chewy, with a fragile texture and gentle flavour.
The squash will get its title from the spaghetti-like strands of the flesh when cooked. Not like different winter squash varieties, spaghetti squash will not be candy. The “strands” make an ideal low-carb alternative for pasta.
To get the “spaghetti,” minimize the squash in half and take away the seeds. Roast the squash cut-side up in a pan with an inch of water. When cooked, the flesh shall be shredded with a fork into strands that appear like spaghetti noodles. Season and serve together with your favorite pasta sauce.
Acorn Squash
That is one other squash that’s available in grocery shops year-round. The pores and skin is usually darkish inexperienced, with a little bit of orange peeking by. The flesh is orange and has a nutty, candy flavour. This pores and skin of the acorn squash is edible and makes a terrific vessel to serve soups and dips.
When procuring, search for acorn squash that doesn’t have deep ribs, because the rounder the squash, the simpler it’s to peel.
I exploit a heavy-duty vegetable peeler to take away the pores and skin. Despite the fact that you possibly can technically eat it, it doesn’t style that good whereas cooking.
Minimize between the ribs after which use the peeler to scrub up the sides. After getting these sections of squash, it’s very straightforward to chop acorn squash into half moons or in chunks. I minimize mine up into as near squares as potential.
Subsequent, I put the squash in a roasting pan and canopy it with salt, pepper, and olive oil. When it’s tender and able to come out, I drizzle it with a balsamic discount. This makes for such a superb aspect dish!
Generally, I additionally serve it this fashion alongside butternut squash. Collectively, they make a pleasant salad since you get a unique density with the butternut squash. An acorn squash density is someplace in between a summer season and a winter squash. It has much more water content material.
Do this Acorn Squash with Coconut Chickpea Stuffing Recipe.
Candy Dumpling Squash
How will you not love one thing referred to as “Candy Dumpling”? This darling squash is small and compact. The flesh tastes like candy potatoes, and you may even eat the pores and skin. It’s excellent to be used as an edible bowl for soups and stews.
To prepare dinner it, you possibly can minimize and put together it the identical means as you’d the acorn squash.
Carnival Squash
The carnival squash is the offspring of an acorn and a candy dumpling squash. It resembles each dad and mom in form, and its yellow flesh is mellow and candy. In recipes, substitute this squash for acorn squash or butternut squash.
Carnival squash might be cooked the identical means because the acorn squash or butternut squash, simply possibly with out the balsamic discount. They’re a very nice pumpkin to stuff!
Delicata Squash
Also referred to as the candy potato squash, Delicata has a creamy flesh with a gentle flavour much like candy potatoes. The pores and skin is edible, which makes this squash a cinch to organize: minimize it in half, take away the seeds, and roast away!
The delicata squash could be very dense, which is what makes it nice for stuffing and baking.
To prepare dinner them, minimize them in half lengthwise to create somewhat boat and scoop out the seeds. Roast on a pan with an inch of water.
To season them, I wish to drizzle them with olive oil, somewhat little bit of brown sugar, butter, and a few salt. They style so candy and savory while you prepare dinner them this fashion!
Kabocha Squash
Kabocha is an Asian number of winter squash recognized for its squat inexperienced look and wealthy orange flesh. It’s used broadly in Japan and Korea and is also known as a Japanese Pumpkin (“kabocha” is the Japanese phrase for “pumpkin”).
Its texture is much like that of a chestnut and tastes like a cross between a pumpkin and a candy potato. In Japan, the Kabocha is utilized in tempura, stewed, and in desserts. Kabocha might be roasted or steamed and used the identical means as different exhausting winter squashes, similar to butternut or pumpkins.
Pink Kabocha is much like its inexperienced counterpart in form, however it’s reddish orange with sweeter flesh. Pink Kabocha is great to be used in desserts and curries
One other selection that’s related that I prepare dinner with is the Pink Kuri squash (extra on that one under!). I exploit each the purple kuri and kabocha squashes for making curries, soups, and stews since they maintain their type. Not like different squash, they gained’t flip mushy while you put them in cooking. So that you get a very scrumptious texture and flavour.
Buttercup Squash
Buttercup seems to be like a miniature model of Kabocha squash. It has a candy, creamy flavour and is taken into account the sweetest of all winter squash.
The flesh tends to be on the dry aspect, so roasting will not be advisable. As a substitute, steam or bake to make use of in soups and curries.
Cook dinner it following the identical directions because the sugar pumpkin. When you prepare dinner them, you scoop out the flesh, and it’s going to be extra mushy and puree-like. This makes the consistency good for baking or making soups with, something that gained’t keep collectively.
Blue Hubbard Squash
This is likely one of the largest kinds of winter squash. Its exterior is agency and might vary in color from deep inexperienced to grey or blue. Blue Hubbard’s flesh is a deep orange with a candy pumpkin flavour. Hubbards are a terrific alternative for baking. You need to use this squash for soups or pies.
To arrange this squash, additionally, you will need to steam it. Observe the identical directions because the sugar pumpkins, scooping out the flesh as soon as cooked.
Pink Kuri Squash
This cute little squash is shiny orange with a wealthy, buttery flesh and savoury flavour. The pores and skin is edible on the Pink Kuri, which is able to carry a enjoyable, seasonal color to your dish. This squash is ideal for braising, roasting, and baking.
When cooking the Pink Kuri squash actually holds collectively. For that reason, it’s nice for including chunks into curry, soup, stew, and as tempura. Certainly one of my favorite dishes is Thai purple curry with pumpkin. You’ll be able to customise it by including beef, pork, or hen to it as nicely.
It’s made in a pleasant purple curry sauce after which with items of purple kuri (stated the identical, however spelled in a different way!).
The pores and skin shall be orange with a inexperienced line exhibiting a second pores and skin with denser flesh on the within. The trick is to prepare dinner it till it’s fairly tender, after which it can soak up the flavour of the soups or stews it’s in. You really want to prepare dinner it so it gained’t be crunchy, however the plus is that the squash gained’t flip to mush.
Cinderella Pumpkin
This enjoyable pumpkin might have gotten Cinderella to the ball, but it surely’s a lot greater than a magical transport car. Cinderella pumpkin’s wealthy, thick flesh is moist and custard-like, with a candy flavour that surpasses virtually another pumpkin you may get.
You need to use it in any winter squash recipe, however when you get your palms on one, make pie. It makes essentially the most scrumptious pumpkin pie you’ll ever style.
Turks Turban Squash
A heirloom squash, folks love this wacky squash for its attention-grabbing form and combination of colors. I discover it to be actually stunning and attention-grabbing.
To arrange the Turks squash, you first minimize off the “cap.” This may be fairly tough, so be certain that the particular person doing so is expert with a really sharp knife. Alternatively, use a paring knife when you don’t really feel as assured.
Then, you put together the highest and backside. Scoop out the seeds and roast them in a pan with some water. As soon as the flesh is fork tender, scoop out the flesh. However depart somewhat behind on the sides!
Once I made this squash, I combined it with cooked rice, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, salt, and parmesan cheese. When combined collectively, it made a very nice pumpkin pilaf.
One of the best half…I put it again within the squash pores and skin as a bowl! Whereas the bowl could be very skinny, it turns into exhausting. You’ll be able to knock it and see that it holds collectively as a bowl. To serve it, I scooped the pumpkin pilaf inside and put the little cap on high. It was a fully scrumptious meal, and I extremely advocate it.
Extra Pumpkins Please!
