37 Squash Recipes for Summer, Fall, and Beyond
Bake, grill, puree, and roast butternut squash, pumpkin, zucchini, and more squash varieties with these vibrant recipes.
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
From pumpkins to zucchini, there's a whole world of squash out there, and this roundup celebrates some of our favorite squash recipes. Butternut squash makes a hearty soup that's perfect for fall and made all the more irresistible with the addition of bacon and crème fraîche, while summer squash carpaccio is a great light lunch for warmer weather. With more than 30 recipes to choose from, you'll find something delicious for every season.
Summer Squash Carpaccio
"When summer squash is freshly picked, all it needs is a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe a hit of lemon juice," chef Marcela Valladolid writes. "Here, I've taken it to next-level magic by adding sweet dates, fresh mint, and toasted pepitas spiced with Tajín seasoning to the thinly sliced summer squash. For a gathering with friends in the garden or a light lunch, this has become a favorite of mine."
Prosciutto-Wrapped Baked Zucchini with Balsamic Drizzle
Wrapped in salty prosciutto and roasted until tender, this quick and easy zucchini recipe makes a light summer main course. You can choose your own adventure when it comes to this dish: Prepare it in the oven, or fire up your grill for an extra layer of charred, smoky flavor. Don't forget to drizzle with balsamic glaze for a lightly sweet finish.
Grilled Summer Squash with Roasted Pistachio Sauce
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Grilled zucchini and yellow squash are dressed in a spicy sauce of tomatillos, pistachios, and charred serrano chiles.
Roasted Butternut Squash Parmesan
Instead of an open-faced parm, this vegetarian version has a double-decker of squash–marinara–oozy cheese with main-dish gravitas. It's hearty and way less fussy than making a traditional parm.
Squash Fondue
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
2023 F&W Best New Chef Amanda Shulman's seasonal riff on the classic raclette set of crudités dipped in melted cheese is served in acorn squash. "They make perfect (and edible!) vessels," she says.
Roasted Squash with Mole Almendrado
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
In this vegetarian main course, a quick, velvety weeknight-friendly mole is made with dried ancho chiles and toasted almonds, then served with tender kabocha squash.
Roasted Squash Salad with Sumac and Italian Dressing
Petals of red onion, nutty acorn squash, and pickled pepperoncini tossed in a creamy Italian dressing make a hearty but not heavy side. Inspired by chef Scott Tacinelli's crispy sweet potatoes at Don Angie in New York, we add sumac to the dressing, giving it an herbal, lemony kick.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Curry Leaves
"A sprinkling of Marash chile flakes and curry leaves with coconut oil add a bit of heat and an intoxicating fragrance, while the black mustard seeds add a hint of nuttiness," cookbook author Nik Sharma writes of this recipe.
Lamb and Butternut Squash Tagine with Apricots
The natural juices from the lamb and onion create steam that bastes the meat as it cooks over a low flame. The gentle heat ensures that the environment inside the tagine remains moist and does not dry out or burn. Savory lamb, salty olives, and ras el hanout spice are balanced by sweet butternut squash, apricots, and a touch of honey.
Parsley Egg Noodles with Squash and Tomato Sugo
Resting this enriched pasta dough for a full two hours is essential to the final texture. Too short of a rest results in puffy, thick noodles, while a well-rested dough rolls into thin, tender pasta. The noodles are paired with a simple sugo composed of just five ingredients: butternut squash, crushed tomatoes, a small yellow onion, kosher salt, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Pecan-Pumpkin Cream Pie
This pie slices beautifully to reveal not one but two fillings: both pumpkin custard and gooey, syrupy pecan. Chef Joanne Chang's technique ensures the bottom of the pie crust is perfectly cooked and avoids sogginess. Cooling the blind-baked pie shell with weights keeps it hotter and flatter for longer.
Kabocha Squash Fritters with Yuzu-Garlic Dipping Sauce
Japanese korokke are the basis for these cheesy squash fritters, which can be made with freshly steamed kabocha squash or canned pumpkin puree.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Chorizo-Spiced Kale
With its earthy sweetness and dense texture, butternut squash makes a hearty vegetable steak. At Chaval in Portland, chef Damian Sansonetti highlights its complexity with his chorizo spice mix. He blooms the blend of cumin, pimentón, and coriander in oil to release its aroma, which provides a smoky foundation for this shoulder-season dish.
Parmesan-Panko-Crusted Baked Zucchini
With plenty of cheesy flavor, this quick-cooking zucchini dish comes together in less than 30 minutes. Mild and tender zucchini are richly flavored with breadcrumbs and cheese for a dish worthy of a party — or just a one-pan weeknight dinner. Enjoy these crispy rounds as a side dish, or pair with your favorite dipping sauce for a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Crème Fraîche
Roasting the butternut squash with honey and a touch of salt intensifies the natural sweetness of the squash and caramelizes the honey. Take time browning the onions; cooking them low and slow deepens the foundational flavor of this hearty soup.
Summer Squash with Poblano, Queso Fresco, and Epazote
Epazote is a leafy herb with a pungent, bright flavor, with notes of citrus, mint, and oregano. It lends a savory depth to the summer squash and pairs particularly well with dairy. Leaving the queso fresco in larger chunks allows it to soften slightly, but not completely melt into the dish.
Candied Pumpkins with Piloncillo and Cinnamon
Calabaza en tacha, a Mexican dessert traditionally prepared for Día de los Muertos, was the inspiration for these candied pumpkins drenched with a rich syrup made from piloncillo cones, an unrefined, molasses-laden Mexican cane sugar. Small sugar pie pumpkins have more concentrated sugars, making them perfect for this simple dessert. As the pumpkin wedges cool, they soak up the syrup, resulting in custardy bites laced with cinnamon, clove, and a hint of orange.
Whole Baked Pumpkin Soup
Baking pumpkins whole traps steam inside the vegetable, resulting in a lush, velvety pumpkin puree and making the skins easy to remove. A simple reduction of dry white wine mingles with butter to balance the sweetness of the pumpkin. The recipe was one prepared by Copenhagen chef Christian Puglisi at a week-long culinary retreat at Rocca delle Tre Contrade in Sicily.
Spicy Sausage Pasta with Tomatoes and Squash
Added just minutes before serving, thinly sliced squash melts into the pasta without losing its shape and texture. Use a mandoline to achieve wafer-thin slices. For the sausage, feel free to use either merguez or spicy Italian. Either way, you'll end up with a great meal.
Summer Squash and Shrimp Fricassee
"Once the summer starts, there are inevitably big baskets of zucchini and yellow squash that we just don't know what to do with," says Oxford, Mississippi-based chef Vishwesh Bhatt. "This fricassee is a terrific place to use them. It's really light, it's really quick, and it's really easy to cook a big batch of it, making it an ideal centerpiece for summer gatherings."
Squash Casserole with Potato-Chip Crust
Gooey cheese and a crisp potato chip topping are key in this Eastern Carolina dish; if you're worried that you're cooking down the vegetables too much — you're not. Gloriously caramelized mush is the goal and when done just right, this casserole can be filed under "looks like hell, tastes like heaven."
Roasted Chicken and Acorn Squash with Sumac Brown Butter
Pre-salting the chicken makes for a savory flavor throughout and helps crisp up the skin. Browning the butter adds nutty depth to the sauce; a flourish of sumac and Aleppo pepper — though not fresh ingredients — adds a fresh, bright flavor to the finished dish.
Brown Sugar–Glazed Salmon with Buttery Roasted Squash
Chef Erick Williams recommends thick cuts of salmon for this recipe because they cook quickly while remaining juicy and tender, and are well-balanced by the sweet, gingery glaze. If delicata or acorn squash isn't available, substitute six cups of peeled and diced butternut squash.
Turkey and Butternut Squash Lasagna with Crispy Sage
Each layer of this next-level lasagna smartly leans on Thanksgiving leftovers to bring big flavor to the table. Leftover sautéed mushrooms jazz up the creamy bechamel, pan-fried sage leaves add a nice touch, and mashed butternut squash provides a smooth contrast to the hearty turkey filling flavored with leftover gravy and Parmesan.
Pumpkin Butter
In the fall, when squash and pumpkins are in their prime, make this pumpkin butter your go-to add-in. This silky preserve toes the line between sweet and savory. Try it on toast with cream cheese, in whipped cream, or melted into a mixture of sage and brown butter for an autumnal pasta sauce.
Roasted Squash Wedges with Collard-Peanut Pesto
Blanching and shocking the collards preserves their vibrant color in the pesto and removes the greens' slight bitter edge. Use best-quality peanuts; their toasty, nutty flavor is the foundation of the creamy pesto.
Grilled Summer Squash Casserole
Traditionally called malaiwala, "the one with cream," this casserole from chef Cheetie Kumar marries Punjabi flavors with a ratatouille-style summer side. Make this a main dish by adding cubed paneer.
Summer Squash Gratin
Recipe developer Laura Rege puts abundant summer squash and zucchini to good use in this beautiful and very simple gratin, which gets fantastic flavor from white wine, leeks, and Gruyère cheese.
Roasted Winter Squash with Vanilla Butter
Fragrant vanilla bean butter does double duty here, flavoring the squash and softening the skin during roasting. The greater the variety of winter squash you use, the more interesting the dish will be.
Curried Squash Galette
With a superflaky crust and a lightly spiced sweet-savory winter squash filling, this rustic galette from Food & Wine’s Justin Chapple makes an ideal vegetarian meal.
Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger
Cookbook author Melissa Clark likes giving slices of winter squash a little wake-up, so she roasts them with maple syrup, olive oil, fresh ginger, and thyme. It's a simple idea, but the combination of flavors highlights the squash in the best possible way. Another bonus: The recipe can easily be made ahead and served at room temperature.
Enmoladas de Calabaza
To make these Enmoladas de Calabaza, lightly fried tortillas are generously stuffed with tender strands of spaghetti squash and then covered in a concentrated kabocha squash mole. The kabocha mole is seasoned with dried chiles and five-spice powder, which lend a delicate smokiness to the savory sauce.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage
© Fredrika Stjärne
This warming baked squash dish needs just five ingredients and comes together with only 10 minutes of active prep time.
Delicata Squash and Sausage Crostata with Ricotta and Honey
In their book Wine Food, sommelier Dana Frank and recipe developer Andrea Slonecker pair funky, bright wines with flavorful, vegetable-forward dishes. They compare crostatas and galettes to pizza, making them the perfect weeknight dinner. This version layers fennel-spiced sausage, chile, delicata squash, and honey for a dinner that pairs well with a northern Italian Dolcetto.
Coconut Chickpeas with Winter Squash
Starchy, slightly sweet plantains are a natural addition to winter squash. Here, chef JJ Johnson simmers both, along with canned chickpeas, in coconut milk that's steeped with aromatics. The result is creamy, fragrant, and so comforting.
Squash and Black-Eyed Pea Coconut Curry
In this recipe from cookbook author Meera Sodha, garam masala–roasted acorn squash joins a very lightly simmered coconut curry with fresh tomatoes and black-eyed peas.
Acorn Squash with Coconut Custard
Every year at Thanksgiving, Top Chef winner Kristen Kish's mother would serve roasted acorn squash. When Kish took over cooking the holiday meal, she enhanced the classic side with a rich coconut custard that offsets the earthy sweetness of the dish. The custard will set as it cools and slices beautifully at room temperature.
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