Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (2024)

Fall is all about orange foods—pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots—and acorn squash happens to be one of our favorites. Creamy and slightly sweet, it's incredibly versatile, equally delicious in a black-eyed pea coconut curry as it is simply roasted with sage and brown butter. You can even fill it with burrata for an indulgent vegetarian dish that stands on its own as a main course. Tempted? We've rounded up 17 acorn squash recipes we love—now it's up to you to choose which one to make first.

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Wheat Berry and Squash Salad

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (1)

Apron guru Ellen Bennett's grain salad is a meal unto itself, combining winter squash, parsnips and wheat berries with kale, pomegranate seeds and feta cheese. It's a festive crowd-pleaser.

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02of 17

Roast Pork with Acorn Squash Romesco Puree

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (2)

Romesco, a traditional Catalonian sauce with almonds and red bell pepper, is the inspiration for Mike Lata's squash puree, which does double duty as a side dish and a flavorful sauce for the pork.

  • Squash Recipes

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03of 17

Winter Acorn Squash, Turkey and Mushroom Soup

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (3)

This winter acorn squash stew is perfect for cooking with all your leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

  • More Turkey Soups

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04of 17

Mustard-Stewed Acorn Squash with Chicken

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (4)

Perfectly warm and comforting, this stewed acorn squash is made with chicken, mustard and other spices.

  • More Squash Recipes

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05of 17

Acorn Squash Saltimbocca

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (5)

Ann Taylor Pittman gives acorn squash the saltimbocca treatment here, 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.

  • Light Stews

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Stewed Acorn Squash with Mushrooms & Chinese Sausage

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (6)

Savory, earthy and delicious, this tender acorn squash becomes a meal when stewed with hearty mushrooms and Chinese sausage.

  • Best Stews and One-Pot Dishes

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Miso-Stewed Acorn Squash with Bell Peppers

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (7)

Acorn squash becomes perfectly tender and delicious when stewed in a rich miso broth.

  • Cooking with Miso

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Roasted Acorn Squash with Sage Brown Butter

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (8)

Warm, fragrant and earthy sage, combined with brown butter, makes this simple roasted acorn squash fabulous and elegant.

  • More Delicious Roasted Vegetables

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Maple Bacon-Roasted Acorn Squash

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (9)

Make this acorn squash a meal. With sweet maple syrup and flavored with crisp bacon, it's hard to not eat the whole thing by yourself.

  • Thanksgiving Squash Recipes

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10of 17

Cinnamon-Spiced Roasted Acorn Squash

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (10)

Spiced with fragrant cinnamon and sweetened with brown sugar, this simple acorn squash is the perfect side dish.

  • Delicious Squash Recipes

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Classic Brown Sugar-Roasted Acorn Squash

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (11)

Perfectly sweet and easy to make, this classic acorn squash recipe is great for a holiday meal or any time of year.

  • More Fall Flavors: Mushrooms, Apples and Squash Recipes

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Roasted Acorn Squash with Garlic Butter and Burrata

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (12)

Chef Dave Beran created this wonderfully indulgent vegetarian dish of roasted sweet squash topped with just-melted burrata. It's fantastic with a lush Chardonnay.

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Acorn Squash and Escarole Salad

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (13)

This lovely knife-and-fork salad from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple gets terrific texture from crunchy hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds, and the creamy buttermilk drizzle perfectly ties all the tasty components together.

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Ginger-Roasted Winter Squash

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (14)

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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Squash and Black-Eyed Pea Coconut Curry

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (15)

Garam masala–roasted acorn squash joins a very lightly simmered coconut curry with fresh tomatoes and black-eyed peas.

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Roasted Chicken and Acorn Squash with Sumac Brown Butter

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (16)

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.

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Acorn Squash with Coconut Custard

Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (17)

Every year at Thanksgiving, Top Chef winner Kristen Kish's mother would serve roasted acorn squash. When Kish took over cooking the holiday meal, she upgraded the classic side with a decadent coconut custard that offsets the earthy sweetness of the dish. The custard will set as it cools and slices beautifully at room temperature.

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Our 17 Best Acorn Squash Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook Ina Garten acorn squash? ›

Place 1/2 tablespoon butter and ½ tablespoon maple syrup in the cavity of each squash. Brush the cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle the squash with 3 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of the squash, until tender when pierced with a small knife.

Is acorn squash healthier than butternut squash? ›

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.

Do you eat the skin of acorn squash? ›

Next time you roast a squash like acorn, butternut or honeynut, try leaving the skins on and give them a nibble. Be sure to scrub the skin well, Joyce recommends, to remove any dirt or debris. The pleasantly chewy texture may just surprise you, plus you can never go wrong with more fiber.

How long to cook acorn squash in the oven at 350? ›

1. Place squash halves, cut sides down, in a baking dish. 2. Bake in a 350°F oven 45 to 50 minutes or until tender.

Can you eat too much acorn squash? ›

Toxic squash syndrome can result from continuing to eat the bitter fruit. Some of the most rampant symptoms and indicators of toxic squash syndrome include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Toxic squash syndrome can be so severe that it can cause swelling in the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and kidneys.

What is the healthiest squash you can eat? ›

Per cup, butternut also offers 3 grams of fiber to benefit gut health. Due to it's high antioxidant activity, and presence of the carotenoid zeaxanthin, research has suggested butternut squash may help protect your eyes from macular degeneration, support heart health and play a role in immune function.

Does acorn squash raise blood sugar? ›

Packed with important nutrients

Unlike refined carb sources like white rice and white pasta, acorn squash is an excellent source of fiber, which slows digestion, helps regulate blood sugar levels, and promotes feelings of fullness ( 6 ).

Do I cover squash when baking? ›

Rub the flesh of the squash with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Place the squash cut sides up on a small baking sheet, and cover tightly with foil. Bake until the flesh is tender and a knife can be inserted easily, about 50 minutes.

Does acorn squash need to be refrigerated? ›

Acorn Squash Storage

Winter squash will last up to a month in a cool (50 to 55 F) dark cellar or storage area, but only about two weeks in the refrigerator. Ideally, only cut or cooked acorn squash should be refrigerated; they will suffer chill damage at temperatures below 50 F.

Can you eat too much squash? ›

While the high beta-carotene content in squash can provide many benefits, studies also suggest that consuming too much of this compound can increase the risk of lung cancer. In addition, some types of prepared squash include high amounts of added sugar.

Is it OK to eat raw acorn squash? ›

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.

Do you cook acorn squash with the skin on? ›

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.

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