Recipes With Acorn Squash | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

What does acorn squash pair well with? ›

For instance, you can add roasted squash to a fall salad, cook it alongside chicken, or serve it up with bacon and eggs. Of course, one of the most popular ways to serve acorn squash is to stuff it. The edible bowls act as a vessel for anything from mac and cheese to sausage to taco fillings.

Good news: you don't need to peel acorn squash. Its hard, grooved skin softens significantly as it cooks, and it's edible, too. If you do want to remove the skin, wait until after you cook it, at which point it will peel right off.

Acorn squash is a highly nutritious carb choice. It's rich in many vitamins and minerals that promote your health in various ways. The bright orange flesh of acorn squash is packed with vitamin C, provitamin A, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, iron, and manganese, all of which are critical for health.

Yes, You Can Eat the Skin of Acorn Squash and Other Winter Squashes—Here's How. Some varieties, like acorn squash and honeynut, have tender, tasty skin.

Acorn Squash

Starchy vegetables like winter squash also provide fiber to help you poop. Acorn squash is a small winter squash with orange flesh; its exterior is typically green but can also be white or orange.

Acorn squash is nutrient dense and definitely worth eating more of! Acorn contains less beta-carotene than butternut, but similar amounts of folate + vitamin C.

Skip eating most hard-skinned squash raw. "Hard skinned squash is difficult to eat raw," Marz says. "They are usually much larger in size, have a harder flesh, and are much more fibrous." Examples of hard-skinned squash that should not be eaten raw include: pumpkins, delicate, butternut, Hubbard, and acorn.

You'll know when the squash is done when you can easily insert a fork in the flesh. You want it tender, yet not mushy. If the squash is already cut in half, you can easily test if it is done by sticking a fork in the flesh of the squash. If it's fork-tender, it's done cooking and ready to eat.

Knowing if your summer squash is still fresh is very similar with winter squash, but note that summer squash tends to turn bad much quicker. For best flavor, check for these signs of spoilage: Visible mold and fungus. Mushy, soft spots on a whole squash, that when cut are spongy and soft.

Carb-counters will be happy to learn that winter squash has about half the amount of carbohydrates compared to potatoes, far fewer calories, and is lower on the glycemic index. White acorn squash is also loaded with fiber to help your body process carbohydrates in a healthier manner.

Is acorn squash an anti inflammatory food? ›

Acorn squash has more carotenoids than any other food. Carotenoids are a powerful antioxidant that help fight inflammation and prevent cell damage.

A squash with soft spots and is soft to the touch, is a sign that the squash has gone bad. And if it starts to leak fluid, that's a sure sign that the squash is spoiled. Likewise, if the flesh and seeds of the fruit are mushy and slimy, that's a clear sign that it shouldn't be eaten.

Also, you can eat the skin–with roasted or baked acorn squash, the skin turns tender and is easily pierced just a fork. Acorn squash, simply prepared, makes a wonderful side dish. You can also season the squash with any herbs, spices or oils you wish and serve it in salads, grain bowls and soups.

This common fungal disease most often attacks the cucurbit family and beans. It is most often found in mid to late summer and unlike most fungi it doesn't need a lot of moisture.

Squash Companions

Researchers have found that squash grown with corn and beans actually have more visits from many predators than squash grown on its own. For best results, give corn a head start. Plant the beans and squash when corn seedlings are 4 to 6 inches tall.

Leeks. "Leeks are a great companion for summer squash because they can help repel pests like carrot flies and aphids," says Coronado. "Their strong scent can confuse and deter these pests, creating a protective barrier around the squash."

Try summer squash raw or spiraled into “zoodles” as a healthy substitution for noodles. They're also yummy sautéed or roasted with olive oil. Winter squash is delicious (and sugary sweet like a sweet potato) when roasted. And both are great additions to soups and pastas.

In the summer, squash pairs well with zesty flavors from lemon, fresh herbs like basil and seasonal produce like bell peppers. "Autumnal squash pairs especially well with herbs and spices like sage, thyme, cumin, ginger and chili," Ceri Jones, a professional chef in London, tells LIVESTRONG.com.