squash recipes
Here's a collection of squash recipes from our weekly newsletters, and some lovely ones you've sent in. If you'd like more please have a look at our recipe index!
Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Squash and Pork Ragout
Summer Squash and String Bean Salad with Chickpeas
Easy Butternut Squash Gnocci
Roast Butternut Ravioli with Cinnamon, Onion, Rosemary Infused Olive Oil and Parmesan Cheese
Butternut Squash Falafel
Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto
Sunshine Squash Soup
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- 1 spaghetti squash
- 200 g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 courgette, diced
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 pepper to taste, de seeded and sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 tbsp cooking sherry
Preheat oven to 190°C/ 375°F/ Gas Mark 5. Pierce the spaghetti squash with a fork a few times before baking until slightly tender. When the spaghetti squash is done, cut it in half, remove the seeds and inner fibres. Use a fork to remove meat from squash, which will come out in strings. Heat the oil in a large pan (or better still, a wok) and lightly stir-fry the mushrooms, courgette and peppers until soft with half of the sherry. Add the spaghetti strings to the stir-fry with the rest of the sherry and cook until done.
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- 1 spaghetti squash
- 50 g butter
- 125 g red split lentils
- 50 g pearl barley
- 1 medium sized organic onion, peeled and chopped finely
- 400 g tinned tomatoes
- 300 ml vegetable stock
- 100 g Cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 200°C/ 390°F/ Gas Mark 6. Place the lentils, barley, carrots, onion, tomatoes and their juices and stock into a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils and barley have softened. Meanwhile, cut the squash in half and scoop away the seeds. Score the flesh and spread the butter into it. Place the squash onto a baking tray and transfer the lentil mixture into the two halves. Bake in the oven until the flesh begins to soften, about 30 minutes. Take out of the oven, top with the grated cheese and then continue to bake until the cheese has melted.
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- 11 ounces butternut squash, cut in half and seeded
- 3/4 tsp. cumin seed
- 1/2 lb. chorizo sausage
- 1-1/4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 large onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 tsp. oregano
- 1 quart plus 3 cups water
- 1-1/4 bay leaves
- 3/4 small green bell pepper, seeded and minced
- 10 ounces canned white hominy, drained
- 3/4 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
- 2 tbs. plus 2 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped
Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas Mark 4. Arrange squash skin side up in baking pan. Add water just to cover bottom of pan. Cover and bake 50-60 minutes, until squash is tender and cooked throughout. Remove from oven and cool. Peel and cut into bite-size cubes. Meanwhile, toast cumin seed in a heavy non-stick pan over medium high heat about 3 minutes, shaking pan constantly until fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and process to a powder. Heat a heavy large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook chorizo 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until browned and cooked through . Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to a bowl and set aside. Discard all but 2-Tbs. drippings. Heat reserved drippings in same Dutch oven over medium high heat. Toss pork with flour. Shake off excess and cook 3-4 minutes, in batches if necessary, turning occasionally until browned all over. Transfer to a platter. Stir in onion, garlic, oregano and cumin and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until onion is soft. Return pork to Dutch oven. Stir in water, bay leaves and bell peppers. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer 1 to 1-1/4 hours, until pork is tender, occasionally skimming foam from surface. Stir in squash, chorizo, hominy, jalapeño and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 5 minutes until hot. Stir in chopped cilantro just before serving.
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This appealing mix of steamed vegetables and chickpeas is adapted from a classic southwestern recipe.
- 2 small yellow summer squashes
- 2 cups fresh string beans, cut into l-inch pieces
- 16-ounce can chick-peas, drained and rinsed
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 to 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- l/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Dark green lettuce leaves
Scrub the squashes, cut them in half lengthwise, and slice them 1/4 inch thick. Steam them until they are tender-crisp. At the same time, steam the cut string beans separately until tender-crisp. Once done, rinse the vegetables immediately under cold water and allow to drain for a few minutes in a colander. Combine the squash and string beans in a large serving bowl along with all the remaining ingredients except the lettuce. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for several hours. Stir occasionally to distribute the marinade. Arrange each serving on 2 or 3 lettuce leaves.
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- 1 butternut squash, peeled
- 225 g peeled potatoes
- 1 free range egg yolk
- 125 g plain flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 125 g butter
- 2 tbsp fresh sage leaves
- Parmesan shavings to serve
Cut the squash and potato into small cubes and steam gently over simmering water until tender. Once cooked, mash together in a clean pan. Place over a low heat for a few seconds to 'dry out'. Transfer to a bowl and allow cooling.Work in the egg yolk, flour, 1/2tsp salt and pepper slowly. Mix together to form a sticky dough. Spoon the gnocchi mixture into a piping bag (like the one you might use for icing) and fit it with a large plain nozzle. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. When the water reaches a rolling boil, cook the gnocchi in batches. Pipe about 12 bits of the mixture into the water, cutting them from the end of the nozzle with a sharp knife. Once the water returns to the boil simmer for around 11/2 minutes until the gnocchi start to soften around the edges. Remove and then cook the next batch in the same fashion.Next melt some butter in a frying pan, add the sage leaves and fry gently until the butter turns golden. Immediately add the gnocchi and stir over a low heat for around 30 seconds making sure all the gnocchi is covered in the sage mixture. Serve immediately on bowls and sprinkle generously with Parmesan shavings.
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Serves 6
For the filling:
- 1.5kg butternut squash
- 2 medium onions
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 cinnamon sticks, halved
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 300ml chicken or vegetable stock
Preheat oven to 190°C/ 375°F/ Gas Mark 5.
Cut the squash into 3cm-thick wedges. Remove the seeds and the peel. Peel and quarter the onions. Arrange the squash and onions in a large baking dish. Season, place the cinnamon sticks among the vegetables and arrange the thyme over the top.
Heat the stock in a saucepan until just about to boil. Pour it over the contents of the dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the squash is soft, the stock is almost completely absorbed and the onions are tender and translucent. Once cooked, remove cinnamon and thyme and puree squash and onions in a food processor until fairly smooth. It doesn’t have to be silky smooth as a bit of texture in the ravioli is no bad thing!
For the rosemary oil and Parmesan:
- 250ml extra virgin oilve oil
- 10 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 100g Parmesan cheese
Warm the olive oil in a wide-based sauce pan. Once warm, but not sizzling – you need a medium-to-low heat for this – add your rosemary. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook for 2 minutes. Then, turn the heat off and let infuse for 10-15 minutes more. The rosemary should look resonably fresh still, not sizzled and fried. Remove the rosemary and set the oil aside.
To prep the Parmesan, get a vegetable peeler out and cut shard of the cheese off applying the peeler to the cheese as if you were peeling a carrot. You want fairly long, thin shards of Parmesan. Cover and set aside.
For the pasta:
- 230g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 55ml water
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sift the flour and salt. Make well in the centre.
Break eggs in the centre. Add oil and water. Mix using your hands until
you have a soft dough - add drops of water if it's too dry. Knead on a floured
surface for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Quarter the dough. Roll
on a floured surface until 1/2cm thick. Cut into 3cm diameter rounds using
a glass or jar as a cutter.
Then, roll each round as thin as you can get it. Pair the circles. Brush
one half with water. Add 1tsp of filling. Top and seal, patting sides down
and drawing out any air pockets. Re-cut ravioli using the same glass/jar
- this will tidy the edges. Dust with flour.
Place on a baking sheet, cover with a dry cloth.
Continue with remaining dough. Bring a very large pot of salted water to
the boil. Cook in batches of 6 for 3-5 minutes - until glossy and cooked
through. Use slotted spoon to remove from pan, place in a colander, drizzle
with oil, plate and top with cheese.
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Ok, we’ve had carrot, beetroot and aubergine falafel. Here’s the autumn version: little butternut and chickpea fritters. They’re delicious with a spicy (think cinnamon, cloves, paprika and ground cumin) yogurt dip! Makes 18 falafel.
- ½ small to medium-sized butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
- ½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying the falafel
- 3 smaller or 2 large spring onions, cut into very thin rounds – use the whole thing: green and white part!
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and finely crushed (or simply ½ tsp of ground cumin if you don’t have whole)
- 400g tin chickpeas
- 20g fresh mint and/or parsley
- 100g Abergavenney goat’s cheese
- 100g fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 egg yolk
- 25g plain flour
- A pinch of sea salt
- A good grinding of black pepper
Preheat oven to 200°C/ 390°F/ Gas Mark 6. Cut the squash into 2-3cm chunks. Place in a roasting tin with the oil, cumin, salt and pepper Toss to combine. Cook for 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until the squash is tender. Leave to cool. When cool, place in a food processor with any juices. Add all the remaining ingredients other than the flour, and blitz to make a rough paste. Season to taste.
with dampened hands, shape a tablespoon of the mixture at a time into a ball, then flatten slightly. Dip into the flour. Place on a plate lined with baking parchment. Cover and freeze for about 30 minutes – or simply chill for 2 hours or overnight (storing it in an airtight plastic container.)
Warm a large frying pan. Add a drop of olive oil and cook four to five falafel at a time, for about 3-5 minutes, on each side.
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Serves 4
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 chopped onion, finely chopped
- 300g risotto rice
- 400g butternut squash flesh, cut into 1cm cubes
- 200ml dry white wine
- 1 litre hot chicken or vegetable stock
- 12 largish fresh sage leaves
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
- 6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
Heat olive oil in a wide pan. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in risotto rice and turn in the oil until all the grains are coated and you hear them crackle and pop a bit, about 2 minutes.
Stir in butternut squash cubes and thoroughly mix in with the rice. Add 200ml dry white wine and let it bubble up until it's fully absorbed into the rice. Add 1 litre hot vegetable stock a quarter at a time, adding each quarter only after the previous stock has been absorbed by the rice.
Meanwhile, place 8 of the sage leaves of top of each other, all stacked up, roll them horizontally so it's like you have a long, thin sage cigarette. Then, slice the sage into very thin slivers. Set aside. In a small frying pan, melt the butter and then fry the remaining sage leaves until just crispy on each side. Set on a wooden cutting board to dry and crisp up, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
When the rice is tender and the stock absorbed, stir in chopped sage until thoroughly mixed. Then, fold in the mascarpone and half of the Parmesan, spoon onto plates and top with the remaining cheese and then garnish each with one of the fried sage leaves.
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You can take two routes here – the easy peel and chop method, where you just cook, blitz, warm and eat. Or, you can go a bit grander and scoop all the flesh out and use the squash shell as a bowl. It takes elbow grease but it's well worth the effort! Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a starter.
- 1 sunshine squash, or other squash weighing about 2kg
- 1 med onion, peeled and finely diced
- 60g butter
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 blades of mace (or pinch nutmeg)
- Seeds from 1/4 vanilla pod (optional)
- 1‐2 tsp sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 750‐900ml litres chicken stock
- 1‐2 tbsp sherry
If you want the easy route, just peel slice and then chop the squash flesh (remove seeds and membranes) quite finely – into 1cm thick shards or squares. To serve the soup from the squash, cut a lid off and keep it. Remove seeds and fibres. Scrape out flesh with knife and spoon ‐ leave 1‐2cm thickness in the wall or you'll puncture it. Chop flesh as above. Melt butter in large pan. Add onion; slowly cook for 15 minutes. Add squash and the spices (bar salt and pepper). Sweat squash with onions on a low heat for quite some time ‐ between 30 and 40 minutes ‐ until it’s quite soft ‐ add a splash of stock if you fear the squash is getting too dry. Once tender, tip in all of the stock; simmer a moment, then puree until smooth. Pass soup through a sieve for a really smooth texture ‐ it's a pain but well worth it. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. When ready to serve, splash in the sherry, pour the soup into the hallowed squash (or just heat in a pan if you didn't bother with the hollowing malarkey!) and bake (lid off but warming in the oven next to the squash) at 170C for 30 minutes, or until the soup is warmed through.
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