most delicious squash variety?

[Hal]

Hi ALL. I see my local grocery has Butter-nut squash, Butter-cup squash, Acorn squash, and Chayote squash. I see there are also Hubbard and sugar-pumpkin varieties. Can any of these be made 'creamy' and delicious, using no butter or oil? Does anyone have a favorite variety of squash, and if so, what's the easiest way cook it and make delicious? Incidentally i see that Acorn squash is much lower in vitamin A than the others. Thanks.

[Vegankit]

I like butternut.

I cut it in half and roast it in the oven until tender. I start with the split side down then turn it right side up a half hour later. You can remove the seeds first. I often leave them in while baking because it keeps the squash moist. I basically follow the recipe I used to use when I slathered it with butter or oil before cooking, only now I omit the oil.

Roasting caramelizes the flavors making it sweeter and gives it more depth of flavor.

[Daydream]

My favorite is Red Kuri squash. I just slice it up (discard the seeds) and steam it until tender.

[Lyndzie]

Last night for dinner we had butternut squash soup. Broth, onion, cubed squash and orange zest. Simmer squash and onion until tender, add zest, purée soup and enjoy.

The night before we had stuffed acorn squash. Take 2 squash, halve and gut. Bake face down until soft. Cook 3/4 cup barley (or short grain brown rice). Sauté fennel and onion. Add 1 tsp coriander. Scoop out squash flesh, combine with onion/fennel and barley. Quite yummy with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Delicata is great sliced and baked.

I have not found a way to like spaghetti squash yet.

[Plumerias]

I think that "most delicious" is in the eye of the beholder. That said, butternut is the one I have most often used, as it is reasonably easy to cut into cubes for soups and stews. It's also one of the most widely available varieties. I didn't have an oven for more than ten years, so I'm new to roasting squash. DH recently roasted a red kuri, which was very creamy when turned into a soup.

FWIW, chayote isn't a winter squash, so it's not used the same way. Think zucchini like for that one.

Lyndzie, "I have not found a way to like spaghetti squash yet". Cracked me up! Me either! Sure, it's fun to turn into strands, but if I want strands with marinara sauce, the most common suggestion, I'll just cook some pasta.

[kirkj]

I eat winter squash every day, even in the summer (and my skin tone proves it ) I cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, bake them cut side up, and then scoop out the flesh and refrigerate.

I like buttercup best, though a friend gave me some small heirloom butternut this year that were good. I saved seeds since it's an heirloom. I don't like acorn squash at all, it seems stringy to me.

[MINNIE]

I'm late to this discussion, but I want to cast a vote for kabocha (sometimes called buttercup, I think).

I like squash in general, but kabocha is the queen of cucurbits as far as I am concerned. I eat it plain and unseasoned because it is so sweet and delicious.

Easy to cook, as well. I either put the whole thing in the oven at @ 400 (no reason for that number, use your own judgement), or else I microwave it for a few minutes to soften the shell.

If I bake it until it is soft all the way through, that's all it needs. Cut it open, start eating. The seeds are good too.

If I pre-microwave it, it's easier to cut up and steam.
In terms of texture, steamed can be starchier and slow-baked is creamier. Your choice!

My second favorite is delicata, also sweet. Also easy to cook. I just put it in the microwave for a few minutes until it sort of collapses and is soft all the way through. I think it has a faintly vanilla taste.

If you want to make more effort than bake, nuke, eat, the cooked squash can be added to soups, used in a curry or stew, or any other way you use a starchy vegetable. I like to make squash tacos, with a warm soft tortilla and some salsa.

I usually ignore Thanksgiving, but this year I decided to honor Native American farmers, and eat only foods that they cultivated. I used corn, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and potatoes to make a big starchy bowl of veggie stew. I cheated a bit when I added turmeric, but nobody's perfect .

[KarenEC]

This fall was the first time I had Delicata squash. It came in a share from our local organic farm and I became hooked.

Lay the squash on its side, cut it into rounds, remove seeds and strings from the centres, bake on parchment-lined baking sheet at 400F for 20 minutes, check that the bottoms of the rounds are starting to caramelize and turn brown, turn the rounds over (except the ends), and bake for 5-8 more minutes. The rounds are delicious when still warm from the oven, or cold, after refrigeration. You can eat the skin too. I eat a round or two with my fingers as a snack. Yum!

(I also separate, season, and roast the seeds at 325F for 22-25 mins, re-using the parchment and baking sheet.)

[pundit999]

I also vote for kabocha.
Couple of years ago, I was in Austin. Based on recommendations here, I visited the special restaurant Casa de luz (spelling?).
This was an amazing place where we had the privilege to eat some of the most delicious starch based McDougall compliant food.

While there, I especially enjoyed one dish. I did not know and asked what the delicious squash was in that dish. They told me Kabocha.

Coming home, I went to the Chinese store and found it there. It was easy to cook and delicious.
You can bake it or microwave it. Just cut it up in pieces and eat. Yum.

It is not easy to slice when raw. You may injure yourself while cutting it up. It is probably best to soften it up a bit in the microwave.