8 Kabocha Squash Recipes to Keep in Your Back Pocket

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. Try a combination of kabocha, delicata, and Red Kuri.

These gnocchi are fun and easy to make. Kabocha squash and buckwheat flour combine for a subtle nutty sweet flavor, with hints of fresh sage and a delightful pillowy texture. Serve as they are or with your favorite pesto or chimichurri.

This velvety, spiced squash soup has layers of flavor, thanks to red chiles, tangy lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar, plus a subtle touch of fish sauce.

With a super-flaky crust (the secret: frozen grated butter) and a lightly spiced sweet-savory filling featuring butternut and kabocha squash, this rustic galette from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple makes a perfect vegetarian meal. Serve it with a green salad.

Cookbook author Melissa Clark likes giving slices of roasted winter squash a little wake-up, 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 the best possible 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.

With more eggs than a traditional pumpkin pie, this pie is much richer and matches the creamy texture of the accompanying licorice ice cream. It pairs perfectly with a simple salad made with thinly sliced kabocha squash and Honeycrisp apple, fresh lemon juice, and honey.

Japanese korokke are the basis for these cheesy squash fritters, which can be made with freshly steamed kabocha squash or canned pumpkin purée. A drier squash, kabocha has a sweet flavor and cooks down into a custardy texture that's still dry enough to fry into these crispy two-bite appetizers. Serve them with a shortcut dipping sauce — a blend of fresh garlic, bright yuzu juice, and silky Kewpie mayo.

Salty kombu butter adds complex flavor in this dish from recipe developer Liz Mervosh, who was inspired by seaweed butter 2019 F&W Best New Chef Matthew Kammerer served at Harbor House Inn in Elk, California. Rub it under the skin of a whole chicken before roasting with kabocha squash and daikon for a delicious and simple weeknight dinner.