Our 36 Best Squash Recipes

By Bridget Hallinan
Updated November 05, 2019
Credit: Justin Walker
Spaghetti! Acorn! Delicata! There’s a whole world of squash out there, and this roundup celebrates some of our favorites. We love how fragrant butternut squash gets when it’s roasted with curry leaves; summer squash paired with tangy goat cheese, herbs, lemon juice, and toasted seeds makes the perfect warm weather salad. With over 30 recipes to choose from, you’ll find something to try for every season.
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Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger

Credit: John Kernick
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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.

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Kabocha Squash Salad

Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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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.

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Winter Squash Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

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"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

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Squash Stuffed with Quinoa and Wild Mushrooms

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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.

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Winter Squash and Carrot Puree

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

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Roasted Delicata Squash with Quinoa Salad

Credit: John Kernick
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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).

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Curried Spagehtti-Squash-and-Chickpea Toasts

Credit: © David Malosh
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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.

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Mashed Winter Squash with Indian Spices

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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.

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Rice Pudding with Butternut Squash and Sweet Milk Tea

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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.

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage

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

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Baked Butternut Squash-and-Cheese Polenta

Credit: Quentin Bacon
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This crusty baked polenta is swirled with mashed butternut squash and smoked Gouda cheese.

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Curried Winter Squash Soup with Cheddar Crisps

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

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Squash Gratin with Poblanos & Cream

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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.

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Roasted Squash with Chestnuts and Pomegranate

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

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Butternut Squash Turnovers

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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.

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Winter Squash Soup with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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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.

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Ginger-Roasted Winter Squash

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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.

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Chicken Curry with Potatoes and Squash

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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.

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Winter Squash and Gruyère Gratin

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Crookneck squash or pumpkin also works well in this recipe.

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Roasted Squash Soup with Maple-Glazed Bananas

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

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Sugar-and-Spice-Roasted Squash

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

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Grilled Squash Ribbons and Prosciutto with Mint Dressing

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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.

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Squash and Zucchini "Linguine" with Goat Cheese

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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.

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Roasted Sea Bass with Summer Squash

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"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.

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Scallops with Summer Squash

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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.

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Seven-Vegetable Couscous

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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.

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Braised Lamb Shanks with Roasted Broccoli and Squash

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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.

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Savory Ricotta-Squash Tart

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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.

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Squash and Black-Eyed Pea Coconut Curry


Credit: Eric Wolfinger
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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.

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Baked Kabocha Falafel with Almond-Milk Yogurt


Credit: Julian Broad
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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.

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Curry Leaves

Credit: Greg DuPree
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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.

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Acorn Squash Saltimbocca

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
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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.

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Grilled Summer Squash Casserole

Credit: Victor Protasio
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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.

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