15 Best Winter Squash Recipes

You will find Winter Squash everywhere this time of year, and with so many varieties and options to try, it’s easy to fall in love with this hearty vegetable. In this roundup I am sharing 15 delicious winter squash recipes that you must try this season!

They are hearty, healthy, filling and so versatile, it is almost impossible not to love winter squash.

Winter Squash unlike summer squash is eaten when the seeds within have matured fully and the skin has hardened into a tough rind. Most winter squash is harvested in September or October, before frost.

Besides the fact that winter squash is extremely beautiful and attractive, we tend enjoy it for it’s mild, sweet and earthy flavors without a dose of guilt since they are low-calorie and a good source of complex vegetable carbohydrates and dietary fiber.

In this roundup you will learn about these six varieties of winter squash; acorn, sugar pumpkin, delicata, butternut, autumn frost and spaghetti squash.

I have also selected 15 best winter squash recipes from around the web, that you must try this season!

I hope you enjoy it!

Acorn Squash

Acorn squash has a dark green skin and is shaped like an acorn. The golden-orange flesh offers a mildly sweet flavor and a somewhat dry texture.

Acorn squash are a hard-skinned winter variety. They may be peeled, but are more often cooked with their skin-on. Cut into slices along the natural ribs, toss with oils, spices or herbs and bake or roast.

Acorn squash may be pureed and added to soups, stews, risotto, cakes or other baked goods. Stuff and bake halves with meats, cheese, grains or other vegetables. Acorn squash will keep at room temperature for many weeks. 

Favorite acorn squash recipes from around the web

Easy Roasted Acorn Squash – Primavera Kitchen

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash – Primavera Kitchen

Autumn Frost Squash

Autumn Frost yields very attractive, blocky, tawny colored fruit with a dusting of natural waxy bloom

But don’t be fooled by its gourd-like looks because this beauty houses a delicious flesh that is sweet, earthy, and reminiscent of your favorite butternut squash. Perfect for roasting, pies, soups and breads. It is an excellent storage crop, allowing you to enjoy it for long after it’s harvested.

Favorite Autumn Frost squash recipes from around the web:

Simple Roasted Squash Recipe – Garden in the Kitchen

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash has a bell-like shape with a long neck attached to a bulbous end. The smooth skin is very thin, light tan, firm, and is connected to a light brown, rough stem.

When cooked, the flesh of the Butternut squash becomes tender and offers a mild squash flavor with sweet and nutty nuances.

Butternut squash is best suited for roasting, steaming, sautéing, baking, braising, and grilling. It can be sliced into rounds, wedges, or cubes and added to curries, chili, soups, stews, risotto, a filling for tacos, enchiladas, empanadas, and ravioli.

Favorite butternut squash recipes from around the web:

Sausage Stuffed butternut Squash – Garden in the Kitchen

Ground Turkey butternut Squash Skillet – Garden in the Kitchen

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Risotto – Garden in the Kitchen

Butternut Squash Turmeric Soup – Garden in the Kitchen

Delicata Squash

Delicata squash are generally small with a cylindrical shape with grooved skin and lines that run the length of the squash. The thin, smooth skin has a creamy yellow base with green or orange, vertical stripes.

Delicata squash is easy to slice, and the skin is also edible. When cooked Delicata Squash is sweet, rich and moist and can hold it’s shape well through cooking, making it an excellent choice for stuffing with grains, meats, or cheese, and baking and serving as a side dish.

Favorite delicata squash recipes from around the web:

Quinoa & Spinach Delicata Squash – Garden in the Kitchen

Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe – Foolproof Living

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, including ivory, yellow and orange. Its center contains many large seeds.

When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash. When cooked, the flesh come apart in ribbons or strands that look like, and are often used as a healthier option for spaghetti.

Spaghetti squash can be cooked in a variety of ways, including baking, boiling, steaming, or microwaving.

Favorite spaghetti squash recipes from around the web:

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash – Love and Lemons

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash – Green Healthy Cooking

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna – Well Plated

Sugar Pumpkins

Sugar pumpkins are small to medium in size and are round and uniform in shape. The flesh is moist, orange and dense. The cavity is filled with pulp and seeds.

When cooked, sugar pumpkins are tender and buttery with a sweet, earthy, and nutty flavor.

Sugar Pie pumpkins are most commonly used for baking and can be pureed into pies, cheesecake, pancakes, tarts, bread, custards, and flan. In addition to sweet preparations, Sugar Pie pumpkins can be used in savory dishes such as soups, hollowed out, stuffed, and baked similarly to acorn squash, cubed and roasted as a side dish, or sliced into wedges and grilled.

Favorite sugar pumpkin recipes from around the web:

Maple Sugar Pumpkin Pie – Taste of Home

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars – Sugar Apron

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Pumpkin Muffins – Simply Delicious Food