16 Fabulous Squash Recipes
These 16 Vegan Squash Recipes are deliciously comforting, bringing out the natural sweetness and rich flavors of the squash while staying light and nourishing. Packed with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, these dishes make healthy eating easy and satisfying!
If you are looking for some delicious and nutritious winter squash recipes to brighten and fill your table this season, you’ve come to the right place!
Fall is the ideal time to cook with squash, as it’s harvest season, bringing out the best flavors in butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash. These hearty, nutritious vegetables add warmth and comfort to seasonal recipes, making them perfect for cozy autumn meals.
I can’t wait to share my tips for choosing the right squash and finding the best recipes to use them in like my dairy-free butternut squash soup and this stuffed acorn squash. This list includes burgers, pasta dishes, soup, casseroles, and more!
Shopping for winter squash
You know the weather is changing and fall is upon us when store shelves are stocked with plump colorful winter squash like butternut, acorn, spaghetti, and other squash varieties.
The sight of all that deep orange, green, and yellow has always excited me as I stroll the grocery store aisles and contemplate baking, roasting, and caramelizing those beauties with some of my favorite spices.
Nutrition in squash
Not only are they delicious but winter squash also delivers a good dose of potassium, beta-carotene, and other phytonutrients and antioxidants that help our bodies’ immune systems during the toughest time of the year.
Loads of nutrients that are anti-inflammatory and digestive-supportive are packed into these bundles of deep colorful fruit. Yes, you heard that right, FRUIT.
Botanically, squash is a fruit
Fruits contain seeds and develop from the flowers of a plant. On the other hand, vegetables are a plant’s roots, stems or leaves.
Not everyone agrees with these botanical definitions, but they’re used widely to distinguish between fruits and vegetables. (NCBI)
All types of squash have seeds and come from the flowering part of plants. In fact, edible flowers even grow out of squash and are known as squash blossoms.
Therefore, squash is considered a fruit.
–HealthLine
Delicious winter squash recipes
Below are 16 mouthwateringly fabulous recipes that you must try this year. These versatile lovely winter squash recipes can be enjoyed as a main dish or as a hearty side dish.
Some of my friends–and your favorite plant-based oil-free bloggers–have contributed to this list of squash recipes that your fall and Thanksgiving guests will be overjoyed about.
We’ve got it all–everything squash-related! Baked squash recipes, butternut squash recipes, roasted acorn squash, and even instructions on how to bake acorn squash whole.
So pull out those healthy plant-based casserole dishes and stockpots, fire up the stove, and get cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are tons of squash varieties to choose from! Butternut, acorn, kabocha, and spaghetti squash are great for hearty, savory dishes, while summer squashes like zucchini and yellow squash are perfect for lighter, quick-cooking meals. Choose butternut for soups, acorn for stuffing, and spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute.
Vegan recipes use various techniques to create creamy textures. Try blending cooked squash with soaked cashews, coconut milk, or a little plant-based milk. Adding a touch of nutritional yeast and spices also makes for a delicious, creamy squash sauce or soup.
For winter squashes like butternut and acorn, look for a firm shell with no soft spots. The color should be rich, and the stem intact. For summer squashes like zucchini, pick ones with smooth skin, firm texture, and no blemishes. The smaller the summer squash, the more tender and flavorful it tends to be.
17 Fabulous Squash Recipes
Whether served as a main dish or a hearty side dish, these fabulous winter squash recipes from some of your favorite plant-based bloggers are going to be a hit with your family and guests. Click on each of the photos, recipe titles, or 'Get the Recipe' buttons to see full recipes with ingredients, measurements, instructions, and a print button.
Butternut squash burgers made with 7 ingredients and as easy as roast, pulse, shape and cook! Switch up your regular burger routine with this flavor bomb of fall flavors. Mix and match the toppings for your favorite combos every time.
Based on the Chilean Porotos Granados, this vegan white bean stew includes butternut squash, kale, and fresh basil for a hearty and flavorful one-pot meal.
Creamy vegan butternut squash soup with coconut milk is the perfect fall meal. Flavorful with few ingredients and super easy to make!
Creamy Baked Fusilli with Butternut Squash is comfort food at it’s finest! This dish will keep you warm and cozy on chilly evenings.
An acorn squash's natural shape is perfect for adding stuffing. This delicious Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe is packed with beta carotene and fiber, and makes a beautiful table display for the holidays!
These Black Bean and Summer Squash Enchiladas are the perfect light meal because summer squash add heartiness and flavor without adding calories. Baking them in individual serving dishes makes them easy to serve.
This vegan pumpkin pie is dreamy. The crust is buttery and nutty, the filling is a softer set than many traditional pumpkin pies, so it is irresistibly creamy. It’s a must for your holiday menus!
Kids and adults alike will swoon for this Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese! The sauce is so creamy and smooth with no dairy at all. Gluten-free option.
This Maple Roasted Acorn Squash is stuffed with a Rice, Lentil, and Mushroom Stuffing and topped with toasted Pine Nuts, making it a perfect holiday dish!
This pasta with roasted butternut squash uses an amazing combination of flavors that will switch up your boring pasta routine. Bonus that it’s so easy!
Up in New England, fall is upon us. And you all know what that means… time for squash! Butternut squash is one of my favorite varieties because of its sweet creamy flavor and versatility. It’s delicious blended into sauce or soup, it’s fantastic in a stir fry, and it’s even better stuffed with your favorite grains and veggies. The perfect ingredient for healthy fall recipes! Give this oil-free quinoa-stuffed recipe a try, or experiment by stuffing squash with other seasonal vegetables.
Making Roasted Butternut Squash is super easy and quick, especially if you bake it whole in the oven. It’s a great healthy and versatile side dish any time of the year!
Winter squashes, such as acorn and butternut, can be tricky to work with because their tough skin is hard to peel. Preparing squash this way—stuffed with a savory filling and roasted—puts that sturdy shell to good use. The rice should be quite moist after it cooks in step 3; it provides good contrast to the squash and helps the stuffing mixture stay together without becoming chewy or dry during baking.
Fork-tender butternut squash, chewy chickpeas, and wilted spinach come together in this spice-laced Moroccan stew that’s a perfect way to warm up a weeknight meal.
Spaghetti squash is unique because it’s not just a vegetable but also a pasta substitute. Cooking spaghetti squash whole in the oven is easy, and it creates a delicious gluten-free pasta option.
Roasted Maple Glazed Acorn Squash with Cinnamon Pecans
Simplicity at its best, this flavorful Roasted Maple Glazed Acorn Squash with Cinnamon Pecans is a perfectly wholesome holiday side dish or for serving every day of the week, it’s that good!
My favorite way to Cook Acorn Squash is to bake it whole in the oven. The main reason I like this method is that it's super easy, and I don't have to cut through the tough skin try to scoop out the seeds while it is raw and harder to handle.
Dishes That Pair Well with Squash
I hope you enjoyed going through this collection of vegan squash recipes and it has given you some great ideas to plan your menus. These dishes are a terrific way to incorporate some new ways to use squash and boost those phytonutrients and antioxidants!
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Great ideas as winter veggies pop up at the farmers market!
Thank you! I love the fall recipes and produce as well. 🙂
Such a delicious collection of recipes! Thank you for including mine!
Thanks so much for being willing to contribute, Dianne! 🙂