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30 Days of Squash Recipes

30 Days of Squash Recipes

By Food & Wine

Updated September 19, 2017

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Con Poulos

As temperatures cool it’s time for some of our favorite fall produce, and that means it’s time for squash—lots of it. Butternut might be the most popular variety of winter squash, but there’s also acorn, delicata, kabocha and more. Here, we've compiled 30 of our best recipes that celebrate this beautiful fruit (yes, it is a fruit,) so that you can fully explore all the winter squash available this season. From vinegar-glazed butternut squash pasta to maple bacon-roasted acorn squash to chunky curried kabocha squash dip, we're serving up everything from simple recipes to inventive dishes that push the limit of what squash can be. – Morgan Goldberg

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Curried Squash Galette

Credit: David Malosh

With a super flaky crust (the secret: frozen, grated butter) and a lightly spiced sweet-savory winter squash filling, this rustic galette from Food & Wine’s Justin Chapel makes a perfect vegetarian meal; serve it with a green salad at your next dinner party and expect to receive compliments from your guests all night.

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Roasted Acorn Squash with Garlic Butter and Burrata

Credit: Con Poulos

Cut down on cleanup with this gorgeous acorn squash dish that you can eat right out of the skin. Chef Dave Beran created this wonderfully indulgent vegetarian dish of roasted sweet squash topped with just-melted burrata, garlic butter and a salad of baby greens. It's fantastic with a lush Chardonnay.

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Black Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Poached Eggs and Crispy Pancetta

Credit: Sarah Bolla

Black quinoa has a bit of an earthier flavor and crunchier texture than white quinoa and it suits roasted vegetables quite well. Here, it makes roasted butternut squash into a hearty, autumnal breakfast dish with poached eggs. Make this on a chilly fall morning and you'll be satisfied and fueled until lunch.

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Vinegar-Glazed Butternut Squash Pasta

Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine

Food & Wine’s Laura Rege combines some of fall’s best flavors in this rustic whole-wheat pasta dish. For the best results, seek out a great-quality unrefined hazelnut oil, which imbues the whole dish with a lovely nuttiness. This fall pasta can be whipped up in under an hour, which makes it ideal for a weeknight dinner.

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Butternut Squash and Kale Strata with Multigrain Bread

Credit: Con Poulos

If you're looking for the ideal brunch dish for fall entertaining (and, of course you are), we've found it for you. This is a terrific make-ahead breakfast strata from baker and pastry chef Zoe Nathan, who uses multigrain bread to add a distinct flavor to this satisfying squash and kale casserole. Your guests will be coming back for seconds.

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Roast Pork with Acorn Squash Romesco Puree

Credit: Olivia Rae James

Romesco, a traditional Catalonian sauce with almonds and red bell pepper, is the inspiration for Charleston chef Mike Lata’s squash puree, which does double duty as a side dish and a flavorful sauce for the pork. It's the perfect way to get some squash in with your main dinner course.

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Kabocha Squash Salad

Credit: Marcus Nilsson

Bitter greens are the perfect foil for the sweet, caramelized kabocha squash in this hearty, festive salad from Jessica Koslow of Sqirl in Los Angeles. It's an interesting, tasty alternative to your normal salad that brings all the fall flavors you're craving. Make it on a weeknight and then pack your leftovers for lunch.

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Wheat Berry and Squash Salad

Credit: Abby Hocking

Apron guru Ellen Bennett’s flavorful grain salad is a meal unto itself, combining winter squash, parsnips and wheat berries with kale, pomegranate seeds and feta cheese. It’s a light, festive crowd-pleaser that you can certainly serve as a vegetarian main dish or on the side of a delicious fall roast.

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Squash Noodle Soup with Healing Turmeric-Ginger Broth, Roasted Carrots and Beluga Lentils

Credit: Anya Kassoff

Cold season is coming and we think an upgrade to the classic chicken noodle cure is in order. At the base of this broth are turmeric, ginger and garlic, finished with aromatic lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and lemon. Add the naturally occurring “noodles” from roasted spaghetti squash, carrots, lentils and spinach, and you’re up for a comforting and cleansing treat.

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Roasted Squash and Mixed Sprouts Bowl

Credit: David Malosh

This outstanding, good-for-you vegetarian salad from chef Jessica Koslow features an array of textures and flavors, from tender roasted Delicata squash to crunchy sprouts and creamy lebneh, a delicious Lebanese strained yogurt. This seasonal dish is the definition of lunch goals that you can actually achieve

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Maple Bacon-Roasted Acorn Squash

Credit: Todd Porter & Diane Cu

Nope, bacon’s not done yet. And yep, it pairs up well with squash. Make this acorn squash an entire meal with sweet maple syrup and crisp bacon. It’s hard to not eat the whole thing by yourself. And we won't judge if you do.

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Gingered Butternut Squash Soup with Spicy Pecan Cream

Credit: John Kernick

Star Southwestern chef Dean Fearing loves the festive feel of butternut squash, especially when it's combined with ginger, as it is here for his smooth, gently sweet soup. He tops it with whipped cream flecked with chopped pecans to give it a hint of that signature Texas flavor and crunch.

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Roast Chicken with Butternut Squash

These chicken quarters roasted with golden squash and sage are nice for a chilly autumn evening. To help the squash brown evenly, be sure to spoon off the fat from the roasting pan after removing the breasts. This is a case where less is more: A thin layer of fat will brown the vegetable better than a quarter-inch of it.

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Risotto Nero with Squash and Burrata

Credit: Chris Court

San Francisco chef Nancy Oakes makes this creamy risotto with Venere black rice, a naturally black short-grain rice. The glossy grains are especially striking served with the golden butternut squash puree and creamy white burrata. This rich, decadent dish is just special enough for an autumn birthday or anniversary. It's good enough to be the gift itself.

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Butternut Squash-and-Sage Wontons

Credit: Tina Rupp

"Wonton wrappers are terrific for making ravioli when you don't have time to make homemade pasta," says Jill Donenfeld, founder of the Culinistas, a private chef and catering agency. The wontons here are filled with mashed butternut squash and roasted garlic and get nicely crispy when sautéed in a touch of oil, but they're also delicious simply steamed.

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Baked Acorn Squash with Chestnuts, Apples and Leeks

Credit: Alexandra Rowley

These stuffed squash make a great vegetarian main course for any chilly evening of the season, but they're also a festive accompaniment to turkey, ham or roast goose once the holidays roll around.

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Orecchiette with Butternut Squash, Cinnamon and Mint

Butternut squash and orecchiette pasta get a huge dose of flavor thanks to cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and lemon in this brilliant, quick dish. It's a great go-to weeknight pasta dish for the season and takes just 35 minutes to whip up.

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Winter Squash and Savoy Cabbage Gratin with Garlic Crema

Credit: Constantine Poulos

San Francisco chef Matthew Accarrino of SPQR uses cornstarch to thicken the creamy milk-based roasted garlic sauce here. It’s a rich but healthy combination of winter squash with cabbage, all topped with crunchy hazelnuts. For entertaining, the assembled unbaked gratin can be refrigerated overnight. The next day, bring it to room temperature before baking.

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Butternut Squash Casserole with Leeks, Prosciutto and Thyme

Credit: Alexandra Rowley

You might've noticed a theme. Many squash dishes that are vegetarian mains work equally well alongside a protein. This luscious squash-studded bread pudding is no different. It's the ideal accompaniment to roasted meats and birds, or cut it into large squares and served as a main course with a green salad on the side.

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Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger

Credit: John Kernick

Cookbook author Melissa Clark likes sweetening up slices of roasted winter squash, so she roasts them with maple syrup, olive oil, fresh ginger and thyme. It’s a simple idea, but the combination of flavors highlights the squash in a delicious way. Another bonus: The recipe can easily be made ahead and served at room temperature. If you have a silicone baking mat, use it here to make cleanup a cinch.

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Miso-Stewed Acorn Squash with Bell Peppers

Credit: Todd Porter & Diane Cu

This six-ingredient recipe takes acorn squash where it has never been before. The starchy fall vegetable becomes perfectly tender and delicious when stewed in a rich miso broth. We love this warming dish for a light lunch on a crisp fall day.

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Chunky Curried Kabocha Squash Dip

Credit: Con Poulos

Sweet roasted winter squash makes a fantastic base for a healthy dip. Here, the F&W Test Kitchen gives it an Indian spin by adding curry, as well as fresh jalapeño and lime juice. All you need is a sturdy, thick tortilla chip and you've got the start of a very good party.

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Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Credit: Justin Chapple / Food & Wine

Spaghetti squash has an unusual noodle-like quality that’s versatile enough for a variety of main or side dishes. Think of this casserole as a slightly healthier macaroni and cheese. We like anything that is remotely like macaroni and cheese, and we're betting you do, too.

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Kabocha Squash Congee

Simple, light and satisfying, tender kabocha squash is a great finish off to a classic congee rice and ginger porridge. We would devour this comforting bowl of seasonal congee for breakfast, lunch or dinner on any day our insides need some warming up.

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Roasted Winter Squash with Vanilla Butter

Credit: Con Poulos

Sometimes, simply roasting a beautiful vegetable with butter and herbs is the best way to celebrate it. Fragrant vanilla-bean butter does double duty here—it both flavors the squash and softens the skin during roasting. The greater the variety of winter squash you use, the more interesting the dish will be.

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Butternut Squash Risotto with Grits

Credit: Sarah Bolla

Roasted butternut squash gets incorporated into decadent risotto, then topped with juicy shrimp in this fantastic dish. It's luscious, rich, creamy and romantic.

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Red Kuri Squash Soup with Ancho Chile and Apple

Credit: Fredrika Stjärne

“Kuri squash has a unique, concentrated sweet flavor that’s beautiful in soup,” says star chef Rick Bayless. As a master of Mexican cuisine, he adds more layers of flavor with apple, cinnamon and raisiny ancho chile, and even blends in the squash seeds for nuttiness. If you can't find kuri squash, butternut will do the trick.

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Spelt Focaccia with Kale, Squash and Pecorino

Credit: John Kernick

Chef Paul Kahan has created a healthier focaccia made with spelt flour, which is high in protein and gives the bread an appealingly hearty texture. Instead of using an excessive amount of cheese or meat, he tops the focaccia with tangy marinated kale, soft and sweet slices of winter squash and a few shavings of nutty, salty pecorino cheese.

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Roasted Delicata Squash with Quinoa Salad

Credit: John Kernick

To create a terrific vegetarian main course, chef Michael Symon tosses quinoa with arugula, apple, raisins and fresh herbs, then spoons the salad into a halved, baked squash. This easy, quick and healthy dish just screams easy weeknight dinner.

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Winter Squash Soup with Kale and Fideos

Credit: Con Poulos

This light yet hearty, healthy red kuri squash soup from Philadelphia chef Michael Solomonov gets extra flavor from charred onion and warm, sweet spices like ginger and cinnamon.

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