Squash help?

I do think spaghetti squash is a good pasta alternative, but if picky eaters are expecting pasta, they might not agree, so you might want to find a way to make it sound more of a dish on its own rather than a "healthy substitute". Kind of like how tofu can be really tasty but if you try to tell me it's steak because you put A-1 on it I'm going to flip a table.

Anyway, with any squash I like to cut it in half and bake for 30 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees, then I usually store it in the fridge until I'm ready for it. Here are a few examples of delicious squash use:

Acorn squash:
Before baking, scoop out the seeds and put a pat of butter and a spoonful of brown sugar in the hole where the seeds were. It caramelizes nicely and kids love it.

Mash it up with any ingredients you'd use to make mashed potatoes (sour cream, butter, parsley, salt) and serve as a side.

Mash is up, add salt (and whatever seasonings you want) and use it in place of where a bread might go, like under a burger patty or an egg (or both).

Smoked gouda goes really well with squash and you don't need to add a lot to impart the flavor.

Butternut Squash:
Amazing butternut squash soup - sauttee 2 leeks along with 2 stalks of celery until tender.
Add 2 cups of chicken broth and one entire pre-cooked butternut squash (after you've let it cool and peeled the skin off, of course). Bring to a brief boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a wooden spoon. Let the mixture cool a bit, then puree in a blender until smooth. Put it back in the pot and add about two more cups of broth (just enough to get the consitency you want) and salt to taste. This soup is ridiculously delicious and very low in calories, as long as you don't go overboard with the butter during the sautee phase - I use 1-2 Tbsp, just enough to keep the bottom of the pot from burning.

Spaghetti squash:
Anything you'd do with pasta but call it something else. I like to mix it with marinara and cottage cheese. Throw some sausage on there and shredded cheese, toss it in the oven and call it a casserole.

Fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes and olives are another good combo.

I had butternut squash the other night that was delicious. Cubed it really small, about 1/2 inch. Tossed with a couple table spoons of melted coconut oil a bit of brown sugar ( you can also use pure maple syrup), a teaspoon or so of cinnamon, and just a teeny bit of cayenne pepper. Roasted it at 425 for about 20 minutes ( longer if you do larger cubes). Even my husband liked it and he is pretty much anti veggie

I'm assuming you mean winter squash, as summer squash is of course the easiest.

For winter squash, delicata has my vote for the easiest. Just cut it in half lengthway, scoop out the seeds, and roast for about half an hour. Spray the inside with a little olive oil or add a bit of butter if you want, plus salt/pepper as desired. Once it's finished roasting, you can just eat it, peel and all.

My other easy squash (and probably my personal favorite) is acorn, which is covered above. I usually make it with just a touch of butter, it takes longer to roast than the delicata, and you scoop it out of the shell to eat--or leave it in and add some meat and veggies as filling and then eat them all together.

Butternut is a little sweeter than either of these, and I particularly like it made into a soup, although I also eat it just roasted quite often.

FredDoyle wrote: »

weightliftingdiva wrote: »

I really like acorn squash. I cut it in halves or quarters, rub some olive oil on each piece, and bake it in the oven until tender. It can be made sweet (cranberry sauce topping) or savory (cumin, salt, pepper).

I agree. Bake at 350F until the top browns...delish.
You can add brown sugar and butter if you want.

Yes to both!

Here's my latest squash experiment (I've tried to Americanise it where I can):

Tagine of Butternut Squash, Shallots, Sultanas and Almonds (serves 4)

3 tbsp olive oil
12 shallots (peeled but left whole)
8 garlic cloves (lightly crushed)
120g sultanas
120g flaked or blanched almonds
1-2 tsp harissa paste depending on strength/taste (which is chillies, salt, garlic, ground coriander (cilantro?), ground cumin and olive oil - I just buy the paste!)
2 tsp honey
1 medium butternut squash (halved lengthways, peeled and sliced)
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
small bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro) (chopped)
lemon wedges (to serve)

1) Heat the oil in a tagine (on a heat diffuser) or in a frying pan
2) Sauté the shallots and garlic until they begin to colour
3) Add the sultanas and almonds and then stir in the harissa and honey
4) Add the squash and stir until it is coated in the spicy oil
5) If it's not already in one, put the mixture in a tagine or casserole dish, with 100ml of water
6) Cover and cook at about 180C (350F) for 20-25 minutes or until the squash has softened
7) Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the coriander leaves over the top.
8) Serve with wedges of lemon.

I had it with Sultana couscous (serves 4) 300g couscous with 1 tbsp olive oil, 30g sultanas and 30g capers stirred in (can also add flaked almonds)

I don't like spaghetti squash as a spaghetti substitute, but I really enjoy it tossed with olive oil, parmesan, and sauce as a side dish.

Of the other squashes, butternut is the easiest to work with, in my opinion - it's simple to peel with a potato peeler, and relatively easy to cube. I attempted to cube acorn squash this week and it was really annoying Those are best cut in half and roasted that way, I think. Delicata is very easy too since you can eat the peel, but they are not quite as ubiquitous as acorn and butternut.

Here are a couple squash recipes I've made and really enjoyed -

Butternut Squash Risotto with Frizzled Sage and Brown Butter (note that this freezes well): http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/pressure-cooker-butternut-squash-risotto-sage-brown-butter-quick-easy-recipe.html (this is a pressure cooker recipe; if you don't have one, you can do it on the stovetop but it will require more broth and a lot more stirring - but it's so good, seriously)

Creamy Butternut Bacon and Leek Pappardelle
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2014/10/creamy-butternut-bacon-and-leek-pappardelle/

Stuffed Acorn Squash - I've made numerous variations of this using all kinds of protein (or none), quinoa or rice, different assorted veggies. My favorite uses a pork or pork sausage, carrots, celery, wild rice, and dried cranberries. This is a great recipe that lets you use what you have/prefer:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-stuffed-roasted-squash-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-101662

This quinoa with butternut squash and cranberries was a great side dish; it also froze well for me:
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/01/red-quinoa-with-butternet-squash.html

Another very easy option is to cube butternut squash, then toss with olive oil, maple syrup, and salt and roast. My 4yo goes nuts for this. I do it similar to this recipe, but I haven't added cayenne:
http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2013/10/maple-cinnamon-roasted-butternut-squash/

This is on the hopper for next week at my house; I think it looks amazing:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roasted-butternut-squash-with-spicy-onions

Welcome to the internet! You've got all kinds of resources at your disposal like a search engine that will allow you to search for recipes. You know the foods you DO like.. Find recipes that sound good to you that also incorporate some kind of squash in them so that you can ease it into your diet. You can always wait to be a bit more adventurous with it later!

Delicata squash is milder and not as sweet most other winter squash and is a bit smaller so if you are the only one eating it you are not stuck with it for weeks. Slicing and roasting with a little salt is my favorite preparation and the skin is so thin you can eat it too.

If you can find them, delicata squash are even better than acorn or butternut...a sweet, delicate flavor, and the skin is very thin so there's no need to peel it. Just slice it in thin slices and bake until soft. Very good on a spinach salad with goat cheese and bacon!

All squash is good to me, but right now, we are loving butternut squash baked in the oven at 425 with a little olive oil, s&p, and smoked or sweet paprika. Very tasty and pretty! Summer squash I like also baked, but with olive oil, s&p, whatever herbs we have handy, and a bit of grated Parmesan or feta or goat cheese.

All of the suggestions here sound wonderful!