How to use squash

I love squash season. Thanks to Melissa’s Produce, I had this beautiful array of fall squash varieties to photograph and inspire me to create recipes. Some great things about squash: it’s highly nutritious, low in calories, needs no refrigeration before cooking, stores well, and is adaptable to savory and sweet dishes.

It’s also dead-easy to prepare: simply turn on the oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4, put the washed squash on a baking sheet, and roast about an hour, until fork-tender. No need to cut yourself trying to get through the tough skin; just cut in half after roasting, scoop out the seeds easily, and scoop out the flesh, leaving the skin for the compost pile. Or, you can microwave the squash until soft enough to cut, then continue baking or microwaving as needed. Just stop and turn it a few times so it cooks evenly if microwaving.

Here are 30 wonderful squash recipes to try using any of these varieties, all vegan and gluten-free!

Butternut Squash

Kitchen Konfidence: Butternut Squash Liqueur
Healthy Slow Cooking: Butternut Squash Frijoles
Recipe Renovator: Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza
Recipe Renovator: Smoky Butternut Squash Soup
Recipe Renovator: Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
A Food-Centric Life: Healthy Butternut-Apple Soup
Tales of an Overtime Cook: Baked butternut squash fries

Sweet Dumpling Squash

Healthy Slow Cooking: Slow Cooker Winter Squash and Fruit Soup
Family Fresh Cooking: Sweet Dumpling Squash Stuffed with Quinoa, Bacon and Cheese (substitute my coconut bacon and mozzarella-flavored Daiya cheese)
Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen: Sweet Dumpling Squash Stuffed with Lemon-Herb Rice

Spaghetti Squash

Recipe Renovator: Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Black Olives and Tomato Sauce
This Chick Eats Clean: Little Italy Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Everyday Maven: Roasted spaghetti squash with white bean and mushroom ragout
Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks: Spaghetti squash with hummus pesto

Cinderella Pink Pumpkin, sold to benefit breast cancer awareness

What Jew Wanna Eat? Cheesy Pumpkin Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Cupcakes and Kale Chips: Maple Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars
Spabettie: Maple Cream Pumpkin Pie with Buttery Gingersnap Crust (just bake and then puree the pumpkin really smooth)

Kabocha Squash

Crumb Blog: Spicy Kabocha Pumpkin Soup
A Food-Centric Life: Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup
The Smart Kitchen: Savory Kabocha Indian Cornmeal PuddingFoodie Tots: Kabocha Squash and Apple Tacos

Green Acorn Squash

Beard and Bonnet: Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Salad
80Twenty: Roasted Acorn Squash Wedges with Chili and Garlic
Recipe Renovator: Acorn squash with quinoa-persimmon filling

Gold Nugget Squash

Super quick soup: add cooked squash to the blender with vegetable broth, 1-2 spoonfuls of curry powder, and a handful of cashews. Blend until smooth, adding more broth until it’s the consistency you like.
Cooking Light: Quinoa-Stuffed Gold Nugget Squash (substitute soy chorizo and cheddar-flavored Daiya cheese to make their recipe gluten-free and vegan)

Delicata Squash

Recipe Renovator: Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Casserole
101 Cookbooks: Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Potatoes and Miso-Harissa Dressing

Carnival Squash

Home Skillet: Roasted Slices of Carnival Squash with Gingery Brown Butter (sub Earth Balance for the butter)
Ricki Heller: Millet and squash baked porridge

Required FTC disclosure: Melissa’s Produce sent me these squash. I was not paid to write this post.

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