I was a latecomer to the winter squash club. It wasn’t a veg I grew up eating often, and then the versions often presented to me played up the sweet, warmth of squash which is fine but often flat tasting. It wasn’t until I started volunteering in a garden and joined a CSA and had squash of many varieties forced on me, that I had to work to figure out a way I would like to eat them. With so much natural sweetness, I found I much prefer something sour or spicy to brighten the flavor, and thankfully many others feel this way too. Here is a whole host of recipes I’ve enjoyed and a few I’m planning to try to elevate your squash game.

Thai Laksa

Made:

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (from their cookbook, Jerusalem) – Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za’atar: Leave it to Ottolenghi to turn me around. This is the recipe that made me into a true squash lover, and it’s dead simple.

Orangette – Winter Squash Soup with Curry and Coconut Milk: Squash soups often have a weird grainy texture that bothers me, but this one with coconut milk is silky smooth and so good.

Jamie Oliver – Thai Chicken Laksa: I didn’t like the texture of the soup with the grated squash (sensing a theme?) so I blended it before I added the noodles, and used collards instead of asparagus (chicken definitely not necessary, and I left out the bouillon entirely).

Mark Bittman – Winter Squash Curry: Definitely use the coconut milk (as 3 of these 4 recipes include it, you can deduce squash + coconut milk = magic), serve over brown rice, and finish with lots of cilantro, scallions, and lime wedges. I ended up adding a little spice with cayenne after the fact as well.

To make:

The Yellow House – Sweet and Sour Delicata Squash

Smitten Kitchen – Fall-toush Salad

How Sweet Eats – Spicy Roasted Squash with Feta and Herbs

Ottolenghi via Food 52 – Roasted Butternut Squash with Sweet Spices, Lime, and Green Chile

Any other squash recipes to add?