How To Cook Winter Squash The Easy Way
Winter squash is one of my favorite things to grow in our garden. It has an excellent shelf life and stores wonderfully with minimal effort. It’s healthy, delicious, and there are many different ways to use it in recipes. Learn how to cook winter squash with this simple method that is also a great way to use up last season’s squash in order to make room for this year’s, because yes- they really do keep that long.
What Is Winter Squash?
There are two types of squash you can grow: summer squash and winter squash.
Yellow straight neck, zucchini, and patty pan are a few types of summer squash commonly found in home gardens. They are tender, have thin skin, and are best when you eat them soon after harvesting. These plants mature in about 60 days, so you could easily plant 2 or 3 successions throughout the summer.
Winter squash is also grown in the summer, but some varieties take twice as long to ripen as summer squash. Depending on when your last spring frost date is, winter squash could take the entire growing season to mature, so you can only plant them one time. When winter squash is fully ripe, the skin is thick and cannot be easily pierced with your fingernail. They also have a hard flesh, and will keep all winter if stored properly. Winter squash is a favorite fall food because it is an excellent source of nutrients, and keeps well during the long cold months when nothing is growing in the garden but you want to have some fresh produce.
Varieties Of Winter Squash
There are many different winter squash varieties. Pumpkin is probably the one that most people are familiar with- and for good reason! Carving pumpkins, pie pumpkins, giant pumpkins, and decorative pumpkins are just a few of the common types you can find locally in the fall. Beyond pumpkins though, there is a whole world of winter squash to explore. Some types of winter squash such as butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash are readily found at grocery stores. Others, like Tahitian Melon, Gete Okosomin, and Delicata squash are some of our favorite winter squashes, but are not found easily and you have to grow them yourself. They all share similarities, but do have different flavors ranging from the sweet sugar pumpkin to the nutty flavor of the acorn squash.
How To Cook Winter Squash the easy way
Winter squash is one of the most versatile vegetables in a homestead kitchen because you can prepare is as a delicious side dish or let it take center stage as a main dish. The cooking method that I’m sharing is the easiest way to cook it, and the one we use most often. It’s perfect as a simple side dish or you can turn it into pureed squash for soups and desserts.
The first step is gathering all your baking utensils, including:
- baking sheet or baking dish
- sharp knife
- cutting board
- optional: aluminum foil or parchment paper
Ingredients:
- whole squash
- salt
- olive oil or butter
Recipe
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and then rinse off the squash with water to make sure there’s not any dust or dirt on it.
Then, on a flat surface, cut off the ends of the squash and discard.
Next, the size of your squash will determine how you cut it. If the squash is small you can easily slice it lengthwise on a cutting board. Some of the bigger varieties require cutting off the neck of the squash from the bulbous end, and then slicing each of those separately. Try to cut the curved pieces so they lay as flat as possible.
Line your baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy clean up, and then drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
Sprinkle the flesh of the squash with a little salt and then lay the squash halves flat side down with the skin facing up in a single layer on the baking sheet. You don’t have to scrape and discard the seeds beforehand! I always dreaded this step before I learned that you can skip it altogether. That’s what makes this such an easy recipe.
Optional: You can add a pat of butter under the halves with the seed cavity.
Bake at 400 degrees F for about an hour, or until you can easily pierce the thick skin with a fork and the whole thing is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool.
Once the winter squash cools, scoop out the seeds.
Ways to serve your prepared winter squash
There are two main ways to use winter squash cooked this way.
1) For an easy side dish- Cut the halves into slices, add a pat of butter to each, and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.
2) For pureed squash- Separate the skin from the cooked flesh, and blend until smooth. Use this for pies, in muffins, or make a savory soup.
How Long Does Winter Squash Last Once It Is Cooked?
You can keep leftover winter squash in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days, or store in the freezer for 6-12 months. I usually cook several squashes at once, and then puree for freezer storage.
Also, you can roast any type of winter squash seeds just like pumpkin seeds! If you’d like to do this then go ahead and scoop/scrape them out before baking. Rinse them off, toss with olive oil or butter, and add your favorite seasonings. Cook them on a separate pan in the same oven as your winter squash. Stir and check them every 5 minutes until golden brown.
