Fall Cooking with Squash
You’ve noticed the wide varieties of squash in the grocery stores and wondered what to do with them. The answer is almost anything. Squash is one of the most versatile foods in season. It’s delicious for soups, salads or pasta. Want to experiment with different squash and other new flavors delivered right to your door? We’ve teamed up with Common Market Farm Share. Sign up by October 25 for bi-weekly deliveries of the freshest foods to cook with this season. Here are three of the most popular types of squash and exciting ways to make them for your family.
The Best Squash Recipes: Butternut
Butternut squash is a fall favorite that never gets old. Its soft and creamy texture is a perfect ingredient for all kinds of dishes. Plus, a whole butternut squash will keep in your pantry from one to three months.
Roasted Butternut Soup with Bacon: Nothing hits the spot like soup as temperatures start to drop. Butternut squash makes a fantastic creamy base for this perfect fall recipe. What makes it so great? The smoky flavor of bacon blended into the squash.
Brown Butter Butternut Squash with Rigatoni: Brown butter and sage are the perfect complement to the nutty flavor of butternut squash. This recipe pairs the squash with rigatoni but it works with any pasta.
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa: One of the best ways to serve any squash is stuffed. This healthy recipe includes tart cranberries and kale to balance the nutty squash and quinoa.
Butternut Squash Chili: Looking for a vegetarian alternative to chili on game day? The butternut squash works great with the spicy chilli base. And don’t forget to garnish with a bit of avocado.
Acorn Squash Recipes
Also known as pepper squash, this winter squash has a sweet and buttery flavor. Despite its creamy texture, it’s a healthy addition to any diet. After all, experts say yellow vegetables are just as important as green ones.
Acorn Squash Soup: Warm up a brisk fall day. Pair this soup with a hot sandwich for lunch or make it the centerpiece of a light weekday dinner. If you’re looking to cut calories, try replacing the heavy cream with Greek yogurt.
Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta: The easiest option with any squash is to season with salt, coat with olive oil then roast in the oven. It makes a great side just by itself. Looking for more flavor? Add it to your favorite pasta and sprinkle with fresh parmigiano-reggiano. Here it’s paired with kale and almonds.
Enchilada Stuffed Acorn Squash: This fun recipe blends the flavors of the squash with traditional chicken enchilada. The squash tastes just like a tortilla but with more nutrients. Use cubed chicken if pulled isn’t your style.
Acorn Squash Molasses Cookies: You can do more with squash than main courses and hearty sides. These healthy cookies will be an enjoyable surprise for that person in your life who claims they hate squash.
Don’t Forget Spaghetti Squash
This fun and sometimes underrated vegetable comes in a variety of colors. Orange squash contains the most amount of carotene, but use any color in your fall cooking.
Spaghetti Squash Soup: This vegetable soup stars spaghetti squash as the main ingredient. It has a broth base, which means it isn’t creamy like other squash soup recipes. The combination of vegetables makes it a healthy and hearty meal.
Spaghetti Squash Pasta: Just like the name suggests, spaghetti squash can be presented just like pasta. Its subtle taste works great with all types of sauces. Here, it’s paired with an easy sun-dried tomato and basil pesto. This is a great meal if you’re looking to cut carbs.
Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Spaghetti Squash: Who doesn’t love chicken, broccoli, and cheese? This casserole in a squash is a great one “pot” recipe that’s easily assembled. The fancy presentation is sure to impress guests.
Spaghetti Squash Casserole: Of course stuffing squash isn’t for everybody. Here’s a simple casserole recipe if you don’t have time to go all out with presentation. Just throw everything into your favorite casserole dish for an easy main course.
The best squash recipes are family-friendly, tasty and healthy. Squash contains high amounts of vitamins like A, C and B. They’re also a great source of magnesium, iron and calcium. As you wander the farmer’s markets and stores this fall, don’t just shop for doughnuts and pumpkin spice. The humble squash can open up a world of possibility in your cooking and baking.
