12 Kabocha Squash Recipes to Keep in Your Back Pocket

You can use either kabocha or buttercup squash in this simple side dish. It pairs well with roast turkey, goose, or chicken, as well as roast pork loin or baked ham.

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. Expect a subtly sweet squash flavor—either kabocha or Kuri squash will work here— with hints of fresh sage, complete with a delightful pillowy texture.

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.

Former Food & Wine editor Kay Chun tops sweet roasted kabocha squash with crispy pan-fried bulgur seasoned with coriander seeds.

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.

Hedley & Bennett founder Ellen Bennett's grain salad is a meal unto itself, combining winter squash (kabocha and acorn), parsnips, and wheat berries with kale, pomegranate seeds, and feta cheese.

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.

Chef José Catrimán uses flavorful kabocha squash to make these bright-orange, sesame-crusted falafel. Instead of frying, Catrimán opts to toss the falafel in a little coconut oil and bake them in the oven.

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.

2019 Best New Chef Matthew Kammerer amps up butter with salty, mineral-rich seaweed. We tried the butter under the skin of a roast chicken; it builds major depth of flavor in this simple weeknight dinner.

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.