Our 36 Best Squash Recipes

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.

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.

"My carbo-meter goes 'ding' every time the weather turns cool. If you can relate to this at all, I suggest you make this recipe right away. There is no better autumnal treat than this amazingly insane gnocchi classic. I dare you to eat just one bowl. I started making a lot of gnocchi about 26 years ago at a restaurant called A La Colonna, which a man named John Schumacher owned in NYC. I worked there one summer and got schooled on the gnocchi and risotto stations. This classic northern-Italian combo of sage-Parmesan-gnocchi-brown-butter is one of my top five desert-island dishes." —Andrew Zimmern

Kevin Kathman stuffs maple-glazed roasted squash with quinoa and sautéed wild mushrooms. For a more substantial dish, serve it with roasted root vegetables brushed with the same glaze.

Serve with golden roast turkey, goose or chicken, roast pork loin or baked ham for a classic pairing.

Quinoa is definitely a superfood: A grain-like seed, it's a "complete" protein containing all eight essential amino acids (another plus: it cooks much more quickly than most grains). To create a terrific vegetarian main course, Michael Symon of Cleveland's Lola tosses quinoa with arugula, apple, raisins and fresh herbs, then spoons the salad into a halved baked squash (a great source of iron and vitamins A and C).

Spaghetti squash gets its name because once it's cooked, you can use a fork to pull the flesh into long, thin strands. Jonathon Sawyer makes his own curry and cooks his own chickpeas for this vegetarian dish, but this simplified recipe calls for store-bought curry paste and canned chickpeas. Sawyer roasts the seeds from the squash and uses them as a garnish; pumpkin seeds from the supermarket are a fine substitute.

Fragrant Indian spices—coriander, turmeric and black mustard seeds—are a wonderful accent for creamy mashed butternut squash. The squash can be roughly smashed until chunky, or thoroughly mashed until smooth.

Inspired by the not-too-sweet rice puddings of India, Hugh Acheson keeps the sugar to a minimum in this version made with rice grits (broken grains of rice). In a nod to the South's favorite drink, he tops the pudding with sweetened milk that's been flavored with tea and spices. The most unexpected ingredient: butternut squash. "I think it can work really well in dessert," he says.

A simple and healthy snack, these roasted cubes of squash require minimal preparation.

This crusty baked polenta is swirled with mashed butternut squash and smoked Gouda cheese.

The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Plus, the Cheddar crisps can be stored overnight in an airtight container.

Chef Julie Robles makes this vegetarian gratin in individual dishes with a topping of candied pepitas (pumpkin seeds). This version is for one big gratin garnished with plain toasted pumpkin seeds.

A drizzle of tangy pomegranate molasses makes this oven-roasted squash, an archetypal fall recipe, more exotic.

Jeremy Sommer often hosts the cooking club at his furniture company's warehouse. His buttery squash turnovers make a perfect fall lunch alongside a big green salad.

Chef Susur Lee is renowned for his creative, complex, Asian-inflected dishes at his restaurants in Toronto, Manhattan and Singapore. But one of his favorite cold-weather comfort recipes is this remarkably simple squash soup, which he sweetens with a little honey and garnishes with roasted pumpkin seeds.

For winter squash that is crispy on the outside and moist within, Melissa Perello halves each one, roasts it until soft, then cuts it into wedges and roasts it some more.

Keralan cuisine is based on the culinary traditions of the region's Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities, and each group puts its own imprint on each recipe. This mildly sweet chicken curry (Nadan Kozhi) is in the style of Syrian-Christian Keralans; cooks from other communities omit the potatoes and squash.

Crookneck squash or pumpkin also works well in this recipe.

"It smelled like autumn in a bowl," said chef Gavin Kaysen, describing Tim Hollingsworth's fragrant, fabulous soup.

The squash here gets tossed with pumpkin-pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) and glazed with coconut milk.

Grilling zucchini and summer squash ribbons on skewers is terrific because the edges become wonderfully charred and crisp, while the insides stay tender and juicy.

Cleveland chef Douglas Katz buys his goat cheese from a local urban producer, Lake Erie Creamery. To showcase the creamy cheese, Katz serves it over strands of zucchini and yellow squash that look like noodles.

"We had a boat when I was a kid, so fishing was a part of my youth," Michael Psilakis says. Here, he mixes ladolemono (lemon juice and olive oil) with mustard and yogurt to create a tangy, creamy sauce for succulent roasted fish and vegetables.

Shawn McClain prepares a rich herb dressing for tender scallops by blanching parsley, tarragon and chervil, then blending them with an egg yolk and olive oil. He uses three-quarters of a pound of prosciutto to make four servings.

Moroccan cooks typically use a special pot called a couscoussier (which resembles a large double boiler with holes in the upper pan) to make perfectly fluffy couscous. We substituted a cheesecloth-lined bamboo steamer set over a cast-iron casserole for similar results, but if you are pressed for time, simply use the instant couscous method from the back of the box.

Chef Troy MacLarty says you can substitute any sweet winter squash for the sometimes hard-to-find delicata; if you're using a variety with a thicker skin, like butternut, be sure to peel it before roasting.

Instead of appearing in a soup, squash gets cut into rings, caramelized and baked in a tart that can be served with a salad as a starter, or as an unusual side dish.

In her latest cookbook, Fresh India, Meera Sodha shows us how fast, fresh, and exciting the vegetable dishes of India can be. Here garam masala–roasted acorn squash joins a very lightly simmered coconut curry with fresh tomatoes and black-eyed peas.

At La Granja, an über-stylish farm-to-table resort in Ibiza, Spain, chef José Catrimán uses flavorful kabocha squash from the garden 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 for a healthier interpretation of the Middle Eastern staple.

This butternut squash carries a wonderful aroma and strong punch of flavor. A sprinkling of marash chile flakes and curry leaves with coconut oil add a bit of heat and aroma while the black mustard seeds add a hint of nuttiness.

Ann Taylor Pittman gives acorn squash the saltimbocca treatment in this recipe, lining wedges of the squash with fresh sage leaves, wrapping them in prosciutto, and roasting to crisp up the pork and caramelize the edges of the squash. You end up with a gorgeous autumnal palette—deep orange flesh, hunter green skin, and soft green sage—and flavors that play off each other beautifully.

Traditionally called malaiwala, “the one with cream,” this casserole is a Punjabi twist on a ratatouille-style summer side. Make this a main dish by adding cubed paneer, a firm Indian cheese.

Pre-salting the chicken makes for savory flavor throughout and helps crisp up the skin. Browning the butter adds nutty depth to the sauce; a flourish of sumac and Aleppo—though not fresh ingredients—adds a fresh, bright flavor to the finished dish.

Both crunchy raw squash and tender grilled squash feature in this summer salad. With plenty of fresh herbs, tangy goat cheese melted into rich heavy cream, and nutty toasted seeds to balance the bright lemon juice on the squash, it’s a complex-tasting but easy-to-prepare dish.

In their book Wine Food, sommelier Dana Frank and recipe developer Andrea Slonecker pair funky, bright wines with flavorful, vegetable-forward dishes. They compare crostatas and galettes to pizza, making them the perfect weeknight dinner. This version layers fennel-spiced sausage, chile, delicata squash, and honey for a dinner that pairs well with a northern Italian Dolcetto.