• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Paleo Leap
  • Recipes
    • Beef and Red Meat
    • Chicken and Poultry
    • Pork
    • Fish and Seafood
    • Eggs
    • Soups
    • Salads
    • Sides, Veggies and Appetizers
    • Sauces, Dips & Vinaigrettes
    • Drinks
    • Sweets and Snacks
    • Cooking Tips
  • Learn
  • Your Starting Point
    • Topic Index
    • Paleo 101
    • Paleo Meal Plan
    • Paleo Food List
    • Transitioning to Paleo
    • Am I Doing it Right? - Checklist
    • Mini-Course for Beginners
  • Popular Topics
    • Recipes for Beginners
    • Breakfast Ideas
    • Homemade Condiments
    • Legumes
    • Wheat & Gluten
    • Dairy
    • Nightshades
  • More
    • Compilations
    • Foods
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Chicken
  • Pork
  • Snacks
  • Salads
  • Learn Paleo
  • Paleo Cooking Tips
  • Paleo Diet Foods
  • Paleo Recipe Compilations
  • Keto Diet Recipes
  • Paleo Beef and Red Meat Recipes
  • Paleo Drink Recipes
  • Paleo Egg Recipes
  • Paleo Fish and Seafood Recipes
  • Paleo Sauces and Dips
  • Paleo Sides, Veggies and Appetizers
  • Paleo Soup Recipes
  • Paleo Tips & Tricks
  • Paleo Topic Index
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Snacks
    • Salads
    • Learn Paleo
    • Paleo Cooking Tips
    • Paleo Diet Foods
    • Paleo Recipe Compilations
    • Keto Diet Recipes
    • Paleo Beef and Red Meat Recipes
    • Paleo Drink Recipes
    • Paleo Egg Recipes
    • Paleo Fish and Seafood Recipes
    • Paleo Sauces and Dips
    • Paleo Sides, Veggies and Appetizers
    • Paleo Soup Recipes
    • Paleo Tips & Tricks
    • Paleo Topic Index
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ร—
    Home ยป Learn About Paleo & Keto Diets

    The Complete Beginner's Guide to Winter Squash

    Last Modified: Jan 27, 2023 by Paleo Leaper ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท Leave a Comment

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Reddit

    Every year, around this time, a magical transformation starts to take over grocery stores. Cucumbers, watermelon, and strawberries fade into the background, and heaps of pumpkins, butternut squash, and kabocha take their place. Cinnamon and nutmeg appear front and center on the shelves, and the whole produce section shifts into tones of gold, red-brown, and dark green. Until the dรฉcor changes again for Christmas, squash will rule the roost.

    Itโ€™s officially squash season at Paleo Leap lately too, with mouthwatering recipes for acorn squash and apple soup and chicken and pork stuffed squash taking their place alongside classic favorites like butternut squash fries. If you already love winter squash, the seasonal bounty a dream come true. But if youโ€™re not used to cooking with them, the huge piles of bumpy, tough-looking gourds in the grocery store can be pretty intimidating.

    Thatโ€™s what this article is for.  There's really nothing complicated or difficult about squash once you get to know it a little better - once you're familiar with it, youโ€™ll be able to confidently pick up one (or more!) and get right down to the fun part: cooking with it.

    Winter Squash: Nutrition

    YesMaybeNo Paleo

    A species native to North America, squash is one of those foods โ€“ like potatoes โ€“ that arenโ€™t technically โ€œPaleoโ€ but are still healthy and delicious. Theyโ€™ve been cultivated as early as 7,000 BC by traditional peoples living in Mexico, and by the time European explorers arrived on the continent, squash had spread to almost every indigenous American culture. Before the invention of refrigerators, winter squash were important vegetables because they keep so well: given a cool, dry storage location, some species can stay good for up to 6 months.

    Underneath that imposingly thick skin, winter squash hides a significant nutritional payload. All species are high in the plant form of Vitamin A โ€“ which isnโ€™t as bioavailable as the animal form, but valuable anyway. Theyโ€™re also full of Vitamins C and B6, and have smaller amounts of almost everything else โ€“ even a little bit of calcium. The exact value varies with the variety (for example, darker orange varieties like pumpkins have more Vitamin A than paler varieties like spaghetti squash), but whatever you pick, youโ€™re getting something healthy.

    Even better, winter squash is suitable for almost any kind of elimination diet, because it doesnโ€™t contain FODMAPs carbohydrates, histamines, or goitrogens (chemical compounds that can impair thyroid function). Itโ€™s not a nightshade, itโ€™s allowed on the autoimmune protocol, and itโ€™s even vegan! Itโ€™s savory enough for adults, but sweet enough for kids, especially if you sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. So if you have to bring a dish to any kind of family potluck or communal lunch, winter squash is one thing almost everyone will be able to eat.

    A Field Guide to Winter Squash

    All winter squash is technically the same species, but that doesnโ€™t mean itโ€™s all the same to your kitchen. Check out the โ€œfield guideโ€ below to help you identify something you got in a CSA basket or pick a new favorite at the grocery store:

    Acorn squash

    paleo AcornSquash

    How to identify it: acorn squash is the shape of an acorn (hence the name), and about the size of two fists held together. Itโ€™s can be dark green, orange, white, or speckled with any combination of those three colors. There are deep ridges in the skin running from stem to tip. If you look up at the picture above, acorn squash is on the far right.

    How it tastes: acorn squash is a little nuttier than other varieties of winter squash, so itโ€™s perfect if you want something more savory than sweet.

    Buttercup squash

    How to identify it: buttercup squash is shaped like a pumpkin that got squished a little: itโ€™s bumpier and a little knobbly. The skin is dark green, sometimes with lighter streaks, and usually with a lighter patch at the top. In the picture above, buttercup squash is on the far left.

    How it tastes: buttercup squash is comparatively sweet, but not quite as sweet as its similarly named cousin, butterNUT squash. Itโ€™s also a little drier.

    Butternut squash

    How to identify it: butternut squash is a pale tan color. Itโ€™s usually longer than it is wide, sometimes with a bulge at one end. In the picture above, butternut squash is in the middle.

    How it tastes: butternut squash is one of the sweetest varieties of winter squash, and it has a rich, smooth texture โ€“ if youโ€™re going for a kid-friendly recipe, this is a great one to pick.

    Delicata squash

    How to identify it: delicata squash is about the size and shape of a large cucumber. Itโ€™s pale yellow, with vertical green stripes. If you want a visual, look back up at the thumbnail: delicata is on the far right.

    How it tastes: delicata squash has a very mild flavor, although not quite as mild as spaghetti squash. Cooking tip: delicata squash is unique among winter squashes in that its skin is edible along with the flesh. So you donโ€™t have to worry about peeling anything: just chop it into bite-sized pieces and roast it until tender.

    Kabocha (Japanese Pumpkin)

    How to identify it: kabocha usually looks like a regular pumpkin thatโ€™s been painted dark green, but some varieties are also orange and look almost like pumpkins, except that kabocha squash is a darker red-orange than the typical bright-orange pumpkin color.

    How it tastes: kabocha is a little drier than other winter squashes, so if you overcook it the texture can get unpleasantly sandy. But roast it just long enough, and itโ€™s pleasantly light and almost fluffy in texture, perfect to balance out a very rich or heavy main dish.

    Pumpkin

    paleo Pumpkin

    How to identify it: the huge Jack-O-Lanterns arenโ€™t actually what youโ€™re going for here; theyโ€™re edible, but they donโ€™t taste that great. Look for the miniature versions sold as pie pumpkins. Alternately, you can buy canned pumpkin โ€“ unlike most other canned foods, pumpkin doesnโ€™t lose a lot of nutritional value. Canned pumpkin is a great โ€œstarter squashโ€ because thereโ€™s no dealing with skin, seeds, or anything else.

    How it tastes: without the sugar overload of pumpkin pie, the pumpkin itself is actually quite rooty and woodsy; it makes a great savory side if youโ€™re tired of sweeter squashes.

    Spaghetti squash

    How to identify it: spaghetti squash is oval-shaped and pale yellow. The skin is smooth, without any ridges or bumps. For a visual, take a look at the pictures in this recipe.

    How it tastes: spaghetti squash is extremely mild, almost to the point of being bland โ€“ but thatโ€™s not the point. The real value of this variety is as a pasta replacement: top it with sauce, meatballs, butterโ€ฆanything you would normally serve with pasta, you can serve with spaghetti squash.

    Other Winter Squashes

    Winter squash aficionados probably already realize that this list is abbreviated. If youโ€™re truly a squash gourmet, you might also remember the charms of Hubbard or banana squash, or maybe the striking red color of turban squash. Or possibly youโ€™re attached to the convenience of the tiny sweet dumpling or gold nugget squash. Itโ€™s true that winter squash has a lot more subspecies than described above, but most of them are harder to find (depending on where you live) or intimidatingly difficult to cook if you donโ€™t already know how. Thatโ€™s no reason not to enjoy them if you already love them, but for squash novices, starting with the popular varieties is generally easier and less confusing.

    Of course, a perfect way to avoid this conflict entirely is to buy your squash at a farmersโ€™ market, where you can ask the farmer what it is and how to make it delicious.

    Cooking Winter Squash

    The easiest, most basic way to cook winter squash is to roast it. You can do this with any species of winter squash, so if you arenโ€™t sure what youโ€™ve got or how to cook it, roasting is always an option. First, cut the squash open and remove the seeds. You can leave it in large pieces to make a very impressive presentation or chop it up into smaller bite-sized cubes. Brush it with Paleo cooking fat, and sprinkle with spices (cinnamon and nutmeg are delicious, and add a little salt to bring out the sweet flavor even more). Then roast it until you can easily poke it with a fork. Thatโ€™s all!

    Once youโ€™ve mastered the basic roast, you can get a little fancier by stuffing your squash, chopping it into fries, or blending it up into soup. Most kinds of winter squash can be substituted for one another, so donโ€™t be afraid to experiment with different varieties here, even if the recipes are written with one particular type in mind.

    The one exception to the โ€œsubstitute anything for anything elseโ€ rule is spaghetti squash. Itโ€™s fine if you just roast it, but spaghetti squash really shines when you scrape out the stringy flesh inside and then serve it as Paleo spaghetti (or carbonara, if youโ€™re getting fancy). No other winter squash has flesh that naturally comes apart in such a perfect noodle shape, so take advantage of such a healthy โ€œpasta!โ€

    However you decide to cook up your squash, donโ€™t miss out on finding some way to enjoy it while itโ€™s seasonal and cheap. Getting a hold-the-phones amazing pumpkin or acorn squash recipe under your belt now can help you liven up the upcoming holiday season with healthy but delicious fall and winter menus. After all, who even wants watery, store-bought pumpkin pie when you could have all the color and flavor of the real thing?

    More Learn About Paleo & Keto Diets

    • closeup of a white bowl filled with Garlic & Roasted Onion Salsa
      Garlic & Roasted Onion Salsa
    • plate filled with blackened tilapia and sliced lemon
      Blackened Tilapia
    • Crab Stuffed Salmon served on a cutting board
      Crab Stuffed Salmon
    • 17 paleo bars & bites to snack on featured
      17 Paleo Bars & Bites To Snack On

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Reddit

    Filed Under: Learn About Paleo & Keto Diets

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    paleo leap square logo

    Hi, I'm Rick! Paleo Leap is the oldest and biggest resource online, covering everything about the paleo diet. We have over 1500 recipes categorized and plenty of meal plans for you to try.

    More about me โ†’

    Popular

    • Bacon-Wrapped Salmon Featured
      Bacon-Wrapped Salmon Recipe
    • Almond Milk Custard
      Almond Milk Custard Recipe
    • Flourless Banana Pancakes Featured
      Flourless Banana Pancakes Recipe
    • Turban Squash Soup Featured
      Turban Squash Soup Recipe

    Recent Recipes:

    • closeup of a glass of Almond banana cinnamon smoothie on a wood table
      Almond Banana Cinnamon Smoothie
    • glass of Peach and chocolate green smoothie on a wood table with peaches in the background
      Peach and Chocolate Green Smoothie
    • closeup of two glasses of cinnamon and Coconut vanilla milkshake
      Coconut Vanilla Milkshake
    • Pumpkin smoothie in a glass on a wood table with cinnamon sticks in the background
      Pumpkin Smoothie

    Footer

    โ†‘ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Cookie Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    For your information only. The statements on this website are merely opinions. Paleo Leap does not provide medical or nutritional advice, treatment, or diagnosis. Read the full disclaimer.

    Copyright ยฉ 2023 Paleo Leap