How to Cook Acorn Squash

Acorn squash is such a delicious and underrated vegetable that when cooked and seasoned right, the flesh becomes smooth and full of flavor.  I love to roast it with brown sugar and butter, and also stuff it with a sausage stuffing.  

Before I get to the “how to cook part of this post,” I want to go over some common questions that people ask about this delicious vegetable that are important to know.  After you check out these answers and the recipe below, head over to my recipe for Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash if you want to get a little fancy.

In North America acorn squash are in season early Fall through Winter months.  You may be able to find them year round, but they may not be as flavorful as they would be grown out of season in green houses or imported.

Acorn Squash average 4-5 inches across, have deep ridges about 2 inches apart, and they are a deep green color.  The inside flesh is yellow and there is a center full of seeds.  They will last for a few weeks in storage.

How do you tell acorn squash is ripe?

Acorn squash are ripe when they are very dark green, the rind is very tough, and the flesh is very hard.  This really isn’t anything to worry about though, because unlike summer squash, winter squash is picked when it is ripe.  The part that was touching the ground will be orange, and the stem will be shriveled and brown.

Do you peel acorn squash before cooking?

Peeling an acorn squash before cooking is possible, but very hard to do and actually unnecessary.  It involves using a sharp knife to cut off the skin which is not easy because of all of the deep ridges.  A vegetable peeler would not work because the skin is so thick.  The best method, in my opinion, is to cook the squash first and then scoop the flesh from the skin.

You may be wanting to peel the acorn squash and then chop it for roasting on a sheet pan.  This method is difficult and can actually be really hard on your hands because the flesh is so hard.  The knife would probably hurt your hands while you were trying to chop the squash!

How do you cut and prepare acorn squash?

So now that you know what not to do, let’s go over what you should do.  First, your acorn squash needs to be softened, otherwise it will be very hard to cut.  I tried to cut a completely raw acorn squash years ago and I ended up slicing my hand open.

My favorite method is to soften the acorn squash in the microwave for 5 minutes so it is much easier to cut and it doesn’t take as long to roast in the oven.  I do this by poking a hole in the squash with a sharp paring knife, placing it on a microwave safe plate, and cooking it on high in the microwave for 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes is up, remove it from the microwave and let it cool until it is cool enough to handle.

When it is cool enough to handle, use your sharp knife to cut the squash from stem to bottom.  The knife should cut through easily.  Also, since the squash is soft, the stem will likely break off which makes it even easier to cut in half.

How do you clean acorn squash?

So you cut the squash in half and you’re now faced with an inside full of seeds.  Take a metal spoon and scoop out the center that contains the seeds.  Do this with both sides.  You can pick off the slimy bits from the seeds and roast them on a sheet tray.

How do you soften acorn squash before cutting?

As I said above, my favorite method is to soften the acorn squash in the microwave for 5 minutes so it is much easier to cut and it doesn’t take as long to roast in the oven.  I do this by poking a hole in the squash with a sharp paring knife, placing it on a microwave safe plate, and cooking it on high in the microwave for 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes is up, remove it from the microwave and let it cool until it is cool enough to handle.

Is acorn squash high in carbs?

As far as squash are concerned, acorn squash is on the higher end of the carb scale.  For 100 grams of cooked acorn squash it has 14 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber.  This would make it 10 net carbs.

How many calories are in a whole acorn squash?

Since acorn squash vary in size, and the flesh can vary in thickness, it is almost impossible to tell anyone how many calories are in a whole acorn squash.  What I can tell you is that 100 grams (about ½ cup mashed) of acorn squash has only 56 calories!

This post is part of a series entitled “How to Cook” and you can find the other recipes in this series by clicking here: https://jenniferbanz.com/category/recipes/how-to-cook

How to Cook Perfect Acorn Squash

Acorn squash is such a delicious and underrated vegetable that when cooked and seasoned right, the flesh becomes smooth and full of flavor.  I love to roast it with brown sugar and butter, and also stuff it with a sausage stuffing.  

PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how do you cook acorn squash

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 108kcal

Author: Jennifer Banz

INGREDIENTS

• 2 acorn squash
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar Sweetener (Click here to see my favorite on Amazon) Optional

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400F and line a rimmed sheet tray with parchment paper.

Soften the squash for easier cutting

• Pierce the flesh of each squash with a sharp pairing knife. Place on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Place each squash on a cuttin board, stabilize with one had, and carefully cut. I insert my knife in on eof the side ridges, work around the bottom, and end at the top. Once at the top, the squash should snap in half with a little force since the squash was softened.

Prepare the squash

• Use a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds of each squash half and place the squash on the prepared sheet tray.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter and the brown sweetener. Use a basting brush to brush the inside flesh of each acorn squash half. If not using brown sugar sweetener, season each half with salt and pepper.
• Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, or until fork tender. You really cannot overcook acorn squash but you can definitly undercook it. To serve, use a spoon to scoop the flech from the skin.

JENNIFER'S TIPS

• How do you tell acorn squash is ripe?  Acorn squash are ripe when they are very dark green, the rind is very tough, and the flesh is very hard.  This really isn't anything to worry about though, because unlike summer squash, winter squash is picked when it is ripe.  The part that was touching the ground will be orange, and the stem will be shriveled and brown.  

• Do you peel acorn squash before cooking?  Peeling an acorn squash before cooking is possible, but very hard to do and actually unnecessary.  It involves using a sharp knife to cut off the skin which is not easy because of all of the deep ridges.  A vegetable peeler would not work because the skin is so thick.  The best method, in my opinion, is to cook the squash first and then scoop the flesh from the skin.
• You may be wanting to peel the acorn squash and then chop it for roasting on a sheet pan.  This method is difficult and can actually be really hard on your hands because the flesh is so hard.  The knife would probably hurt your hands while you were trying to chop the squash!

NUTRITION

Serving: 0.5Cup, mashed | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Fiber: 5g