Karen’s 24 Fabulous Winter Squash Recipes! UPDATED.
It’s Winter Squash Season in Fall! Learn how to prepare and cook many varieties…in these well tested and modern recipes.

Winter Squash is harvested in the fall and has a hard rind, which allows it to keep well for months. Summer Squash has a thinner, edible rind and is harvested in warmer months. Yet, some Winter Squashes have edible rinds too! RECIPES INCLUDE: Soups, Mains, Sides, Chili, Salad, Latkes, Pancakes, Scones AND MORE!

Enjoy the versatile flavors of Winter Squashes with all their varieties that shine through in savory & sweet dishes.

Soups:

My Favorite New Soup of the Season – Perfectly Seasoned and Quite Easy to Prepare.
The fabulous creamy texture of Honeynut squash makes a velvety soup – Thai spices from an unexpected place – in a little can… how convenient! Roasted Honeynut Squash is added to a quick base of onions, shallots, ginger and garlic with broth (your choice chicken or vegetable), coconut milk and Thai spices.

                                                                                                         
WINTER  SQUASHES

See all my Fabulous Winter Squash Recipes!
Which ones will be your favorites to save and make again and again?

Sunchokes lend a creaminess to warm soups, perfectly paired with the velvety smooth Kabocha Squash for a wonderful Fall & Winter Soup. A great festive yet simple recipe for Thanksgiving. Vegan.
Sunchokes (also called Jerusalem Artichokes) & Kabocha Squash Soup is easy to prepare – blend until creamy.

See my easy way to peel a Kabocha Squash. You’ll love the Cashew Crema with hints of maple & cinnamon ~ the Spiced Cashews make a terrific, crunchy garnish. A universal soup all and your Vegan guests will adore! Can make the soup ahead and freeze for a hassle- free Thanksgiving soup. The garnishes make it extra special.

A Creamy & Chunky Soup with a Coconut Cream Swirl and Hatch Chiles… very comforting and healthy! Perfect for weekdays, special enough for company and holidays. Acorn squash has a very mild buttery taste, a little sweeter than pumpkin. The celery root will add a natural creaminess to the soup which I love!

Silky smooth with some texture from the vegetables – this soup will warm you up on crisp fall and winter days. Cinnamon sticks add a sweet aura of spice – and a hit of cayenne pepper adds the perfect kick. Top with a swirl of yogurt, celery leaves and spiced pine nuts & pepitas.

A healthy, satisfying soup with all the flavor to awaken your taste-buds.
A wonderful rich bodied Mediterranean Gypsy Vegetable Soup with Saffron, Turmeric, Juniper Berries, Smoked Paprika and fresh Mint for exceptional flavor. “Gypsy” ~ a free spirited soup with a rich assortment of ingredients.
Try Kabocha Squash (also called Japanese pumpkin) ~ with its sweet taste and velvety texture.

A Little “Winter Squash” Know How:

• Winter squashes are more nutrient-dense than summer squash, which is telling by their bright orange color that signals high vitamin and mineral content.
• The nutrients found in every type varies, but they are high in beta-carotene (the reason why most winter squashes have bright orange flesh), vitamin C, vitamin B6, fiber, magnesium, and potassium.
• Pick a squash that’s firm – you’ll know squash is ripe if you knock on it and it sounds hollow.
• Not grown in Winter… they are grown all summer and harvested in the fall before the first frost.
• How to soften a hard squash: For hard-skinned varieties like butternut and hubbard, microwaving the whole squash for a few minutes can help soften the skin, making it easier to cut and peel. To do: Prick all over with the tines of a fork and cook 3 – 5 minutes; then cooland peel.
• Peeling difficult? For some recipes, you can you can cook the squash halved @ 375 degrees on a pan with the skin on and scoop out the soft flesh once it is done.

Winter squashes pair well with huge variety of seasonings and ingredients!

For example, I like to use WARM SPICES: (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and cloves) ASSERTIVE HERBS: (thyme, herbs de Provence,rosemary and sage;sparingl) ALLIUMS: (onion, sweet onion, shallots, leeks and garlic) LIQUIDS: vegetable broth, chicken broth, fresh apple cider and coconut milk.)

Winter squash is a low-calorie, nutrient-dense food – providing beneficial vitamins and antioxidants

CHILI:

White Chicken Chili makes a delicious meal full of mildly-spicy Chili Flavor, including Red Lentils, Butternut Squash and Chicken. A light and tasty chili gets an extra flavor-pop with my Raw Tomatillo Salsa. Perfect for Fall & Winter – A hearty, chunky chili that’s also light & nutritious!

APPETIZER:

THE Fall Appetizer – almost too pretty to eat featuring in-season Fresh Figs.
Goat Cheese is whipped with Roasted Butternut Squash and topped with Fresh Figs, Maple-Balsamic Drizzle and Fresh Rosemary.

SIDES:

Sliced Honeynut Squash are baked in a Clementine Juice & Honey Mixture with Cinnamon Sticks and Star Anise – which reduces to an awesome glaze! Finished with Pomegranate Molasses, Pistachios and Pomegranate Seeds.

Your New SIDE DISH for Thanksgiving! (Perfect for right now too!) 
Sweet & Nutty Delicata Squash layered with a Zesty Cider Reduction and Topped with Sourdough-Parmesan-Thyme Breadcrumbs that bakes up Crispy & Golden. Yes ~ can be made a few days in advance!

Make these Gorgeous Potatoes ahead of time for the Perfect Thanksgiving Side-Dish. Enriched Mashed Potatoes are piped with a Butternut Squash Swirl for a Beautiful Presentation, that’s actually easy to make. Crispy outside, light & airy inside.

Super Sweet Honeynut Squash is special and in season! It’s small size boasts a sweet and nutty flavor with a hint of caramel. Easily roasted and stuffed with a Kasha (Buckwheat) Pilaf with plenty of Roasted Peppers, Red Onions, Herbs and Creamy Goat Cheese.
The most delicious Fall main course or side dish!

A new twist for your Potato Pancake repertoire.
Butternut squash with warm spices makes a delicious sweet latke that is perfect for Chanukah or anytime! Gluten Free adaptable.
These latkes have a pinch of sugar, cinnamon and grated nutmeg (grated apple too!)
I love the flavor of these warm spices. Crispy, naturally sweet, salty and irresistible!

Delicious and creamy – chock full of nutrients  Simple to prepare, just 3 main ingredients! – plus salt & pepper and parsley.
The Brown-Butter-Ginger add-in is a game changer! Adds a ton of flavor and personality! A wonderful side dish instead of pasta, potatoes or grains.

What’s better than homemade macaroni and cheese? Here’s a recipe that is creamy, rich and has a crunchy topping that is irresistible! (Awesome Gluten-Free option too.) Adding cubes of Butternut Squash and Apples makes for an interesting, updated Fall Macaroni and Cheese. Adds interest and depth of flavor.

A recipe for Detox – Pump up you servings of fruits, vegetables and grains…naturally. Stuff Acorn Squash or Blue Hubbard Squash with a wonderful and healthy quinoa pilaf loaded with texture & color.

MAINS:

Sometimes I’m craving One Pan Cooking!
Chicken, Delicata Squash Rings and Shallots roast in the oven and produces a delicious simple dinner.Make the Apple Cider Glaze on the stovetop as the sheet pan cooks. In the style of French Chicken Normandy… this is a genius sauce… easy too!

A light and flavorful frittata that has plenty of vegetables, apples, cheeses & eggs. Creates beautiful Mosaic Layers! Baked until puffy with a creamy-like texture – a meal in itself! A great side dish too!

Using flavorful Honeynut squash – these pillowy gnocchi include the roasted squash in the dough and also served in the finished dish. Serve with simple browned butter and fresh herbs – delish!

Includes Ricotta Cheese – no potatoes here! A Fall-inspired healthy recipe.

A modern Fall Cajun and Creole style stew – with wonderful vibrant flavors.
Étouffée is a French word which means “smothered,” and is typically served over rice.

SALAD:

This classic American salad gets a revamp with a lighter taste. Lots of crunch from the seasonal apples, celery and walnuts with mellow additions ~ kale, roasted squash, grapes and a creamy yogurt-mayo cinnamon dressing. A NEW classic!

PANCAKE:

Delicious and loaded with healthy ingredients with tips on how to cook a pumpkin and make homemade Pumpkin Puree (see recipe.) Comfort food – you know we all need some right now!
These Pumpkin Pancakes are delicious on their own ~I love topping with Yogurt, Granola, Caramelized Apple Slices and drizzle with Pure Maple Syrup.

USING PUMPKIN:

Bakery quality scones! Barely sweet and irresistible – made from your pantry ingredients… with a secret ingredient: coconut milk. Who can resist a warm, tender and flaky scone chocked full of fruits and nuts?

Taking Comfort Food to a Whole New Level! 
Italian Pasta Shells Stuffed with Fresh Ricotta Cheese, Smoked Mozzarella, Roasted Pumpkin, Fresh Spinach, Shiitake Mushrooms in a Creamy Lightened-Up Alfredo Sauce. Delizioso!

Types of Squashes I have used:

Honeynut Squash:

Honeynuts are about 6″ tall, and look almost exactly like a butternut squash but shrunken. Considered to be sweeter than butternut and nutritionally – has two to three times more beta-carotene than butternut squash. These little guys were bred for flavor, and not yield, since 2015.

Acorn Squash:

This smallish squash is named for its shape. Look for skin in shades of cream, dark green and orange. A sweet, nutty flavor; mild buttery in taste and slightly more fibrous in texture than butternut squash.

Delicata Squash:

Shaped like a large cucumber, this sweet variety is patterned with green, cream and yellow with orange stripes. Has a smooth and creamy flesh that melts in your mouth. Its texture is tender and slightly firm – and has a nutty, yet sweet flavor; a cross between butternut squash and sweet potato.

Butternut Squash:

Smooth, tan long neck variety with a relative small seed cavity. Known for its excellent flavor and texture – the most widely green winter squash. Their flavor is rich and nutty with medium sweetness, with a fine-grained, non-stringy, dense texture that is both firm and moist.

Blue Hubbard Squash:

An old favorite large squash shaped like a spinning top. In colors ranging from pale green, to golden – to blue-grey. Has a slightly bumpy appearance. When cooked, Blue hubbard squash is tender and starchy with a rich and semi-sweet, nutty flavor similar to that of cooked pumpkin.

Pumpkin:

There are decorative pumpkins – and pumpkins that are suitable for cooking.
Look for orange Sugar Pumpkins – the sweetest (also called ‘pie pumpkins) and soft peach colored Cheese Pumpkins (their flavor is buttery in texture and mildly sweet.) They have an early-sweet flavor. Homemade purée is lighter in texture with a fresher, flavor. 

Kabocha Squash:

Hailing from Japan, kabocha squash is short and squat with thick, dark green skin and orange flesh. Has a sweet flavor and texture similar to a chestnut, creamier and firmer than butternut squash with an edible skin.

I hope I inspired you to make many Fabulous Winter Squash Recipes!
Karen