Acorn Squash

We love all squash, but acorn squash just may be the best squash—here's why

A great way to use up different winter vegetables that you might have around. Feel free to increase the amount of some and eliminate others, depending on your preference, but make sure to cut them into similar sizes so they'll cook in roughly the same amount of time.

With grains for heft, many colors of vegetables, and a little bit of tangy cheese, this vegetarian dinner has all the bases covered.

Yes, making this rice is a time commitment and a labor of love. But the ingredients aren't difficult to find, and the finished dish is stunning.

There's no need to peel acorn, kabuki, or delicate squash; their skins are tender and edible, and add extra color and texture to the dish.

Traditional Thanksgiving flavors (winter squash, cinnamon, butter) are given a beautiful Persian accent. The exotic spiced butter is also a treat mixed into couscous.

A recipe for dates and Parmesan in a relish over roasted squash? Don't knock it till you try it.

Roasted squash and mushrooms are the perfect building blocks for a week's worth of lunches. Here they're used as a taco filling for whole wheat tortillas.

Meet your new go-to flavor booster: butter that’s fully equipped with blue cheese and garlic. Layer on charred winter squash (any variety will work), then top it off with nuts and fresh herbs.

This chicken comes with a crispy, craggy bread and squash salad that has all the buttery, herby flavor of classic stuffing.

When I was growing up, my mother served a lot of canned vegetables, but the one thing she always made from scratch was acorn squash, which she roasted with butter and maple syrup. When I revisited her old method, I found it was just as good as I remembered. The sweet squash filled with a big puddle of melted butter and sweet syrup is so irresistible!

Bisibelabath is kitcheree’s spicier cousin. The name means “hot lentil rice,” so consider yourself warned—this is a spicy dish of vegetables, rice, and lentils straight out of South India. I like to serve it with raita to cool things off.

Douse squash in lots of oil and let it slow-roast to golden-deliciousness in this hands-off dish.

Feta and bread get roasted alongside winter squash, then tossed with pleasantly bitter greens for a salad that’s equal parts warm and cold, soft and crunchy, and sweet and savory.

Few side dishes are better on a cool fall evening than roasted acorn squash sweetened with just a little honey and made even mellower with nutmeg and fresh sage leaves. When I catch a whiff of it coming from the oven, I feel warm and comforted, and you will, too.

This is a tasty dish. Between the kale, the rice, and the squash, it’s chock-full of fiber, antioxidants, and minerals. And the nutty, salty Pecorino Romano cheese gives it a quiet punch. This makes for a hefty side, and if you add shredded chicken to the stuffing, it becomes a light entrée.