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Recipes :: Side Dishes :: Cooking with Winter Squash

Cooking with Winter Squash

—Courtesy of Deanna Ibbitson, Graduate Student in Human Nutrition, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC

There is a very simple method for cooking winter squash that can be applied to all varieties:

1. Cut the squash in half vertically with a large knife (you will be cutting the stem in half). Be careful! If it is a very large squash, you may need to cut it into smaller pieces.
2. Scoop out the seeds (you can save the seeds for later—see below)
3. Spread the exposed flesh with olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for about 30–45 minutes (depending on the size and variety) until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork.

Mashed Winter Squash with Roasted Garlic

This is my favourite way to eat squash. For this recipe, the squash and garlic can be roasted at the same time, just take the garlic out earlier.

• 1 winter squash, roasted (any variety, but spaghetti—see above)
• 1 bulb of garlic, roasted (see below)
• 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil (amount depending on the size)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Scoop out the flesh from the cooked squash and put it in a bowl. Add butter or olive oil, salt and pepper. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin and add to the squash. Mash with a potato masher. Sometimes the squash skin is edible after roasting and can be mashed along with the rest of the squash.

Roasted Garlic

Roasting garlic mellows the flavour to a smoky-sweet. Roasted garlic cloves can be eaten whole, spread on crackers and cheese, or added to soups and mashed vegetables. Not to mention it keeps vampires away.

Cut off the top of a garlic bulb. Pour a bit of olive oil into over the exposed cloves and wrap the bulb in tinfoil. Cook at 400°F for 20–30 minutes until the cloves are soft and a sweet, garlicky aroma wafts from the oven (check periodically).

Roasted Squash Seeds

High in fibre, iron and magnesium, these roasted delicacies make a tasty and nutritious snack.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rinse the seeds to remove the orange fibres. Pat dry.

In a small bowl, drizzle the seeds with olive or canola oil and sprinkle with salt and herbs. Some suggestions: paprika, oregano, nutritional yeast, chili powder, soy sauce (instead of salt), cayenne, or all of them! Spread on a baking sheet, oiled or lined with parchment paper. Cook 10–15 minutes until slightly browned. Stir a couple of times while cooking. Let cool.

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