Winter Squash Recipes You Won't Get Tired Of

Instant Pot Butternut Squash is the easy fall side dish recipe that everyone needs in their repertoire. This simple recipe is similar to your go-to roasted butternut squash, yielding browned edges and a melt-in-your-mouth tender interior, but made in your go-to countertop appliance. Make your own by adding your favorite spices and herbs to the cubed butternut squash. 

This Instant Pot butternut squash soup is a perfect recipe for effortless fall entertaining. Deeply warming, this comforting Instant Pot soup is excellent when served with crusty bread and a green salad for a light entree, but also makes for a fantastic appetizer served in smaller portions. It delivers a delightful blend of textures and flavors in each bite thanks to the toppings that make this dish as beautiful as it is delicious.

Salty feta cheese and olives are the perfect flavor balance to sweet, caramelized butternut squash in this simple, satisfying side dish. Bulk the salad up with rotisserie chicken and serve over bulgur, rice, or couscous for a hearty fall entree. 

Bake the squash in advance to shorten prep time; squeeze the noodles dry, and store in a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Instead of sweet potatoes, try equally starchy, carotene-rich butternut squash for your next mash. A food processor will get the mixture silky smooth. You can also change the profile by swapping maple syrup and fresh ginger for a little ground cinnamon and curry powder or minced fresh sage and grated Parmesan cheese.

A mix of colorful root vegetables may be your star side. Peeled, prechopped butternut squash saves time, but pieces tend to be irregular and small--we prefer peeling and cubing it yourself.

Frittatas are some of the most efficient vehicles for leftover vegetables. Here, we combine roasted butternut squash with quick-cooking kale for a fiber-rich breakfast duo. A touch of dairy lends custard-like creaminess to the egg mixture.

A mix of colorful root vegetables may be your star side. Peeled, prechopped butternut squash saves time, but pieces tend to be irregular and small--we prefer peeling and cubing it yourself.

Mashing half of the beans provides creamy texture and helps to seal the quesadillas.

Cutting the squashes crosswise instead of from top to bottom is easier, and they take up less space in the baking dish. Trim the ends so the halves sit flat and don't wobble.

A mix of colorful root vegetables may be your star side. Peeled, prechopped butternut squash saves time, but pieces tend to be irregular and small--we prefer peeling and cubing it yourself.

We love firm French green lentils, but you can also use standard brown lentils. You're not likely to find a whole butternut squash that's only 1 pound; just buy the smallest one you can find, and use 1 pound of it.

This beautiful, nourishing platter needs only some warm flatbread and a pot of herb tea to make you feel energized to face the world.

While old-school stovetop-stirred risotto is undeniably delicious, the pressure cooker also delivers astonishingly good results: perfectly creamy, al dente risotto without constant stirring.

Long, slender ribbons of butternut squash make for a beautiful and unusual presentation; just be gentle when stirring so you don't break all those gorgeous pieces. Try to grab a squash with a long neck--that straight surface works best for ribboning. If you can't find sorghum, you can use farro.

If you prefer, you can roast a halved, seeded butternut squash at 350° for 45 minutes or until soft. Scoop 10 ounces of flesh, and use in place of the puree.

Rotisserie chicken helps make this hearty chili superspeedy without sacrificing rich, deep, and complex flavor.

Fresh ginger, red Fresno chile, and pomegranate don’t usually appear on the Thanksgiving table, but we love how they transform simply roasted squash into a dish with tingly heat and pops of color. Leave the sheet pan in the oven as it preheats to jump-start browning, saving roasting time in the oven.

Molasses complements the sweetness of the roasted butternut squash and gives the slices a deeply bronzed look.

For a delicious fall side dish, combine roasted butternut squash with pecans and sage. 

Some butternut squash soups can be too sweet; here, almond butter, lime juice, and slightly spicy salad mix-ins keep the flavors lively. For a heartier dish, add a few cooked medium shrimp (warmed first in a little hot water) to each bowl.

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best. In this one, butternut squash combines with oil, sage, and thyme for a can't-be-beat weeknight side.

This foolproof Instant Pot method yields perfectly cooked spaghetti squash in a fraction of the time needed to cook it in the oven. Cutting the squash crosswise actually makes for longer strands of squash, which is ideal when subbing the veggie in place of traditional spaghetti noodles. Top your speedy spaghetti squash with anything from pesto to shrimp scampi for an easy, nutritious dinner. 

This bountiful plate comes together in a snap thanks to savvy finds from the supermarket like frozen precooked butternut squash, olives from the olive bar, and spiralized beets (available in the produce section). If you can’t find the beets, you can add 1/3 cup precooked, sliced beets to the cooked and drained green beans. Cutting the steak in half will also speed up cooking; be sure to let it rest a few minutes before slicing.

To speed up prep time, roast the squash and par-bake the crust simultaneously.

The best part of this showstopping dish is the caramelized edges.

For a faster option, you can use an equal amount of raw zucchini noodles or ribbons in place of the spaghetti squash. For a heartier dinner, serve with 1 cup steamed green beans.

Pillowy store-bought potato gnocchi are a great stand-in for dumplings in this easy and comforting dish. Buy precut butternut squash to save time, but slice any larger pieces of squash in half to ensure that it cooks evenly.

Spaghetti squash is a great lower-calorie, lower-carb alternative to pasta. It's a neutral-tasting veggie that absorbs all the flavors of this simple dish. Eat with 1 orange or 2 clementines. Dairy-free option: Use 4 teaspoons toasted chopped walnuts instead of feta cheese.

For a delicious fall side dish, combine roasted butternut squash with coconut flakes and red chile and coat the mixture with a lime juice mixture. 

This bright, colorful salad features soft squash that is perfect in the fall for salads and soups. Bake butternut squash in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Keep a batch on hand for a side, soup, or hash stir-in.

Watch out, carrot cake. An intriguing mix of spices, plus coconut sugar for subtle sweetness, put this butternut squash cake over the top. (And did we mention the bourbon?) You'll need 3 round cake pans (8 in. each).

If you only want to use one sheet pan and make 4 servings, divide this recipe in half, and save the extra half of your par-cooked butternut squash for a soup, roast, or stuffing.

This plant-powered salad delivers over 50% of your daily fiber and one-third of your daily potassium goal. Butternut squash is an excellent source of eye-healthy vitamin A and a good source of immune-boosting vitamin C and blood pressure-supporting potassium.

This recipe goes with: Butternut-Kale Frittata, Poached Egg Power Bowls

Earthy, fragrant spices like allspice, cloves, and cinnamon make wonderful accents for the natural sweetness of butternut squash. Make sure to simmer the squash until very tender--the softer it gets, the silkier the puree.

Butternut squash puree enhances the color here without distracting from the cheesy flavor, and it sneaks in another serving of vegetables. If you can't find frozen butternut puree, swap in an equal amount of mashed sweet potato or canned unsweetened pumpkin.

$8.15 for six servings

We give the large bone-in breasts a head start in the oven so they will be perfectly cooked by the time the vegetables are done. This cut is also rather juicy; you'll want to drain the liquid from the pan before adding the vegetables so they can caramelize evenly.

While a sweet spaghetti squash might sound a little unconventional, it's quite a treat. Accompanied by a warm, buttery cinnamon apple mixture, this squash is packed with festive fall flavors. The simple goat cheese and Greek yogurt mixture is the perfect, creamy component to finish it all off, and you're going to be licking the spoon with this light and healthy topper.

The last of late-summer's corn, cooked so it still has a light crunch, accents this silky squash soup. Clare Carver of Big Table Farm winery in Oregon uses rich homemade chicken broth, but store-bought works too.

Wide ribbons of fresh butternut squash become tender while the pizza bakes, a colorful and faintly sweet contrast to the peppery arugula pesto.

Toss kale, roasted butternut squash, pistachios, and dried cranberries with a red wine vindegar and Dijon mustard dressing to make a delicious fall salad. 

Winter greens would also make a lovely addition to this hearty stew; simply toss a few handfuls in when the squash is almost tender, and stir until greens begin to wilt.

A well-stocked spice cabinet is key for this stew. Each serving packs nearly half of your daily fiber, essential for better digestion and weight control.

Top winter greens with roasted butternut squash for a clean, light meal.

Coat acorn squash slices with a mixture of chili powder, cumin, and paprika before roasting them until tender. 

For a delicious fall side dish, combine roasted butternut squash with arugula and pomegranate arils and coat the mixture with a tahini dressing.

Cooking with store-bought cubed squash saves time on weeknights. You can sub in almonds or walnuts for the pistachios.

This fantastic sheet pan chicken supper is simple to throw together and packed with robust fall flavor. While it’s a great dish to add into your weeknight dinner rotation, this roasted chicken dinner is impressive enough for casual entertaining. Feel free to swap out the butternut squash for sweet potatoes if you’d prefer. And to find even more inspired sheet pan meals, you’ll definitely want to pick up a copy of One Sheet Eats: 100+ Delicious Recipes All Made on a Baking Sheet.

For a warm, comforting salad to devour during the chilly months, this hearty kale situation is just what you need. Brimming with sweet apples, hearty wheatberries, toasted walnuts, and a hefty crumbling of goat cheese, it has all the necessary components for a filling and flavorful salad. Double the vinaigrette and save some to douse on roasted veggies or meats.

As easy as it gets, this is a great, hands-off, and foolproof method for cooking spaghetti squash. Use the cooked squash for salads, as a veggie swap for pasta noodles, or as a simple fall side dish.

Roasting a whole squash takes longer than one that's cut up, but Smoot finds it easier (and safer) to peel and cut the squash after it's cooked.

Go low-carb with hearty spaghetti squash in place of pasta. Cook an extra squash, and store the flesh in ziplock bags for a quick side during the week.

Try this fall-flavored spin on spaghetti made with butternut squash, walnuts, bread crumbs, and Parmesan. 

This is a fun dish to "carve" at the table, as each person gets one wedge to enjoy as a side dish. For an entrée take, give each person half a squash.

For a delicious fall side dish, combine roasted butternut squash with Parmesan-garlic bread crumbs. 

Spaghetti squash is a favorite ingredient for those seeking a lower-carb, gluten-free alternative to pasta. If you’ve cooked it before, you’ve likely cut it in half lengthwise to form two “boats.” And while that method works just fine, it disregards the way the strands grow inside the squash—in circles around the width of the squash. When you cut the squash lengthwise, you cut each strand in half, which makes for shorter, and often soggy, “spaghetti.” Try this instead: Cut the squash into rings to preserve the length of the strands. See our step-by-step guide below.

A summer classic leans into fall with roasted butternut squash, tart-sweet dried cranberries, and fresh rosemary. Find peeled, diced fresh butternut squash in the produce section. You can sub crumbled goat cheese or feta for the blue cheese and walnuts or pecans for the hazelnuts.

Madras curry powder adds warmth and earthiness to the otherwise sweet butternut squash, apple, and maple syrup in the soup. It has a bit more heat than regular curry powder, though either can be used here. Frozen, precooked squash will save time; you can also roast 1 (1 1/2-lb.) peeled, diced butternut squash ahead and refrigerate for later in the week. We opt for a sweet, Golden Delicious apple to contrast the tangy Greek yogurt; you can also use a Fuji or Braeburn apple.