Last night I made stuffed acorn squash and as I was finishing off the rest of Dan’s acorn squash (yes I eat HIS leftovers, never the other way around) when Dan said, “You know, I really like most squashes but this just isn’t my favorite.”
I tried not to take it personally because I thought it was a pretty freaking great dinner, but I can’t fault him either. If I were to rank all the squashes, then acorn squash would probably be my least favorite too.
You might be thinking, “there are different squashes beyond the yellow and green ones?”
Yes, my friend, there are many. I was walking with my friend Kristen the other day and she didn’t know of all the squashes either, so it inspired me to write this blog.
This week, I will give my rankings on which ones are my most to least favorite along with my favorite ways to eat them.
1. Delicata squash.
I discovered this squash for the first time last year and I have not been the same since. There is nothing like it and nothing will beat it in my mind. They are sweet and delicious and just the best.
I cook them very simply. I cut it down the middle and take out the seeds like you would with a pumpkin. Then I cut it in half-moons, put them on a baking sheet. Season with olive oil garlic salt and pepper and bake for 20 ish minutes. They are so simple and delicious. There is nothing like it. You can eat them skin and all!
2. Butternut squash.
If you haven’t tried butternut squash in my opinion, you haven’t truly lived… I have a million ways that I can tell you to make something delicious with butternut squash, but just do yourself the favor and head over to Panera Bread today, and get their “harvest” soup, aka their butternut squash. Mind-blowing.
3. Spaghetti Squash.
This one’s a bit oblivious, but it’s the perfect vegetable alternative to actual spaghetti or pasta. It’s a little sweet, but really filling and delicious.
My favorite way to eat it is as a pasta alternative. You start by cutting it in half, scooping out the seeds, and then baking the spaghetti squash inside up. Bake it until you can poke a fork through it. Then once it’s baked you fork out the inside and do NOT eat this skin. Then you can eat it with either red sauce or pesto, whatever you are in the mood for. Either way, it’s amazing and delicious.
4. Yellow and Green Squash
I think that these squash are very versatile. You can do anything with them. I put them at the bottom of the ranking because I don’t feel they are that special or delicious. An easy healthy add on, yes, delicious and exciting, not so much. So that’s why they get the last ranking for me.
My favorite way to eat them is baked with parmesan. I cut them into “carrot stick” like sizes. Then put them on a baking sheet with olive oil, garlic salt, red hot pepper flakes, and sprinkled parmesan cheese. Now THAT is a delicious way to eat them.
5. Acorn Squash
Finally, the squash that gave me the idea for the blog… Acorn squash. Most people would look at this at the store and be like “ wtf?” It’s weird-looking and unless someone tells you exactly how to cook it you are pretty much never even trying to buy it.
This squash has a hard skin that I would NOT eat, Dan did once and I cried laughing watching him try to eat it. Do yourself the favor and don’t do it, or tell someone to do it and watch their reaction. 😉
You can make this squash a couple of ways, but my favorite is to stuff it. You start by cutting it in half, scooping out the seeds, and then putting butter in the inside and baking it for 30 minutes or so. Then while that is cooking, saute up some chicken sausage, apples, and onions. You can cook up some rice or quinoa on the side. Then add all of those together once done with craisins, some kind of crunchy nut, and wilted spinach. It’s delicious, filling, and tastes like fall.
