Rachael Ray

If you have been to your local farmers market or even grocery store lately, you can’t help but notice that all varieties of winter squash in all their glory are abundant right now. Summer squash varieties include zucchini and yellow squash but winter squashes are their funny looking, oddly shaped, quirky cousins that are prevalent in the fall. Squash is delicious, healthy (chock full of vitamins A, C and E ) and versatile, but sometimes it’s hard to know which type is which, much less how to cook them. Delicious in soups, stews, pastas and purees, here’s the skinny on squash.

There are countless types of squash, but the most common are:

Acorn: Looks like a big acorn, most commonly the skin is dark green and the inside is light orange. Delicious when simply cut in half (scoop out the seeds) and baked in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so or until tender. Try topping with a tablespoon of butter and sprinkling of brown sugar before you put it in the oven.

Butternut: Beige and shaped like a vase, the flesh is a deep orange. When choosing a butternut squash, the darker the skin, the sweeter and riper the squash. Try baking (after cut in half with seeds removed) with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper at 400 degrees, flesh side down, for 45 minutes or until tender (turn right side up after 20 minutes). If you bake a few at once, you can scoop the flesh and freeze it for when you need squash puree for recipes at holiday time.

Spaghetti: A golden-yellow, small-watermelon shaped squash, spaghetti squash is a great low carb substitute for traditional spaghetti pasta; after cooked, you pull out the flesh (which are strands) with a fork and serve like pasta. Unlike most veggies, the larger the squash, the more flavorful the squash. To prepare, cut in half (remove seeds), drizzle with olive oil or some butter and salt and pepper,  and bake flesh side down at 400 until tender (45 minutes - 1 hour), rake out flesh into spaghetti strands and serve with butter and Parmesan cheese, or your favorite pasta sauce.

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You can also microwave these types of winter squashes cut in half, with seeds removed, cut side down in a microwave safe dish with a bit of water, tightly covered, until tender (approximately 7 minutes per pound). If you need a puree, you can also peel and cut the squash into chunks, put in a saucepan and cover with salted water and boil until tender. Drain, cool and mash or puree in food processor. All squash should be stored in a cool, dry place - do not refrigerate them.

Some of Rachael’s favorite squash recipes:

Butternut Bowties

Autumn Harvest Chili

Spaghetti Squash with Super-Thick Bolognese Sauce

Butternut Squash Risotto

Roasted Butternut Squash