Baked Acorn Squash Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to bake acorn squash at 350 degrees? ›

Directions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place squash in a shallow baking pan, cut-side down. Bake in preheated oven until tender, about 30 minutes.

Most recipes say to either bake or roast butternut squash—but what's the difference? While both cooking methods will turn the tough, raw gourd into a soft, sweet ingredient, roasting butternut squash is the more common process for achieving browned, crispy edges and a creamy interior.

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.

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.

Place squash, cut-sides down, in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour 2 cups water into the dish around the squash halves. Bake in the preheated oven until tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours, adding more water as needed. Remove from the oven and transfer each half to a plate, cut-side up.

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.

Putting it cut-side down creates a sort-of steam chamber for the flesh, helping it cook faster and retain moisture (no dried out squash here!).

When deciding which gourd is the best fit for your dish, consider the individual characteristics of each variety. For example, acorn squash is popular for roasting and baking because of its thick rind, while the smooth texture of butternut squash makes it particularly delicious in soups.

Hubbard Squash

Its dry flesh is fine-grained, orange, and sweet, and it's best baked or boiled. The thick skin on a hubbard squash can be extremely hard and difficult to peel; on the plus side, that means it can keep for a very long time (up to eight months), and makes it well suited to stuffing and baking.

How to tell when acorn squash is done cooking? ›

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.

This squash has a lot of antioxidants, which can boost your immunity and help your body to fight off certain diseases. Acorn squash contains antioxidants like vitamin C that help strengthen bones and blood vessels. It also has vitamin A, which helps improve the health of your lungs, heart and other vital organs.

Food Safety and Storage

Scrub winter squash with a vegetable brush under cool running water before cooking or cutting. Do not use soap. Do not wash squash before storing. Keep squash away from raw meat and meat juices to prevent cross-contamination.

Acorn squash is a starchy vegetable so it is higher in carbohydrates than many other vegetables. However, it is rich in fiber, providing around 5 grams of fiber per 1 cup serving. That fiber will help slow down digestion, fill you up and might even help prevent you from digging into that leftover Halloween candy.

Acorn squash is packed with both soluble and insoluble fiber. Though they have different functions in your body, both play important roles in digestive health. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stools while soluble fiber softens them, preventing constipation and supporting regular bowel movements ( 13 ).

How to Bake Acorn Squash. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash halves cut side up on the baking sheet. (Cut side down works too, but I prefer the slightly firmer texture that you get when you roast it cut side up.)

Acorn squash is rich in antioxidants, which can neutralize potentially harmful molecules called free radicals. These antioxidants can help to protect people against health issues like arthritis, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.

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.

Technically, all winter squash skin is edible. "It's just a question of texture. There's no danger in consuming the skin—some just taste better than others," says Romano. The thicker the skin, the greater chance it will remain tough to chew even after it's cooked.

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.

What is the lowest temperature for acorn squash? ›

Like most plants in the Cucurbita family, they cannot handle even a light frost (which occurs at 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Acorn squash seedlings will need to be transplanted out 1-2 weeks after the last frost when soil temperatures are consistently at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

When growing acorn squash, plant five or six seeds per hill, but wait until the soil temperature rises to 60 F. (15 C.) and all danger of frost is past since the seeds need warmth to germinate and the plants are extremely frost tender. These vines prefer temperatures between 70 and 90 F.

Begin checking around 20 minutes, rotating the pan (if you feel like it). Once it's passed the fork test (or is cooked to your liking), you can take the squash out of the oven and let it cool until it's easy to handle. Then, scoop the flesh out of the skin and do what you will with it!