How to Cook Perfect Acorn Squash

brown sugar roasted acorn squash on sheet tray

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 5

Total Time1 15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how do you cook acorn squash

Servings:

Calories: 108

Author: Jennifer Banz

Ingredients

2 acorn squash
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar free brown sweetener 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.

Notes

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