How to cook acorn and spaghetti squash

[Kitchen Witch]

How to cook acorn and spaghetti squash


Small acorn squash and spaghetti squash can be pierced in several places with a long-tined fork or metal skewer and baked whole. Piercing prevents the shell from bursting during cooking. Place the squash on a baking dish and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 325°F. Test for doneness by squeezing the shell. When it gives a bit with pressure, it is done.


Acorn Squash Cooking Tips

You'll need to remove the fibers and seeds from the center of the acorn squash before steaming, broiling or baking.

Save the acorn squash seeds to toast for snacking just as you would pumpkin seeds.

A sturdy knife to slice acorn squash in half is a necessity. To make the squash easier to cut, pierce the skin in a few spots, place it in a microwave oven and heat on high for 2 minutes. Let stand for another few minutes before carving.

When halving, cut through the stem end to the point rather than across the diameter.

To prevent halves from rocking on the baking tray, cut a small slice off the bottom to flatten it.

The ribbed shape of the acorn squash makes peeling it virtually impossible, but wonderful for stuffing with a wide variety of fillings. It is most often served cooked in its shell. If you need the pulp only, you'll need to cook it first and then scoop the pulp from the skin. It is done when the flesh is very tender, usually about one hour baking time at 400 degrees F. for halved squash. Timing depends on the size of the squash, but it's difficult to overbake.

Avoid boiling acorn squash. Boiling damages both the flavor and the texture.

To quickly microwave acorn squash, cut two whole squash in half, cover and cook for 13 minutes on high. Do not add water.

Acorn squash can also be cooked whole. Pierce the skin in several places. Place on a baking sheet in 350-degree F. oven for about 1-1/2 hours. Squeeze the squash to test for doneness. When it yields to gentle pressure, it's done. You can then cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and serve or cool and use the cooked innards.

The deeper the yellowish orange color of the flesh, the sweeter it is. If you end up with a stringy squash, you can beat the pulp with an electric mixer on high speed for ten seconds and then switch to low speed for sixty seconds. The strings should wrap around the beaters for easy removal.




Spaghetti squash is a very simple vegetable to cook and can be prepared in a variety of ways. The squash can be baked, boiled, steamed, or microwaved. The easiest and most consistent method is simply baking. Once cooked, it can be eaten as is, or used instead of pasta in a variety of dishes.

Regardless of the cooking method, initial preparation is the same. Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. You will see a lot of pulp and seeds in the center. Using a large spoon, scrape all the loose pulp and seeds out and discard. Once you have scraped away the pulp, you are faced with a firm yellow meat. Don’t keep scraping on this as the fiber will continue to grate away.
Place the two halves on a baking sheet in a 350’ oven and cook for forty-five minutes. It doesn’t much matter whether face up or down. When it is cooked, remove from the oven. It is now ready to season and eat or prepare to use in a recipe.
To eat it, season with a little salt and pepper if desired. You can add a bit of butter to taste also. Then, scrape at the meat of the squash with the tines of your fork and you will pull away long, stringy fibers. Eat and enjoy. You will be able to scrape this down to a paper thin hull.
If you want to use it like pasta, just scrape all the fibers out into a serving dish and top with your favorite sauce. Another great way to use it is in lasagna. Just substitute the spaghetti squash for the pasta in your favorite lasagna recipe and cook as normal. This will create a tasty, lower calorie and low carbohydrate version of lasagna. For dishes like this, it may be easier to cook the squash in advance, so you can scrape out the insides while cool.
If you don’t have a lasagna recipe, it is very easy to prepare. Cook your favorite spaghetti sauce, or use whatever canned or bottled sauce you like. Add browned and drained ground beef or sausage if desired. Alternate layers in a casserole dish with the spaghetti squash, your sauce, and cheese. You can use ricotta for a traditional lasagna, or substitute mozzarella, provolone, or the cheese of your choice. Usually you will have two layers of each.

Bake in a 350’ oven for 30 minutes and enjoy


TIDBITS:
Cooked squash freezes well. Pack into freezer containers or freezer bags leaving 1/2 inch head space and freeze for up to one year. Canning is not recommended unless the squash is cut into cubes.

Mashed squash is too dense and heat penetration is uneven. Because spaghetti squash does not stay cubed on heating, it should be frozen instead of canned.



Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan Cheese

One 4 to 5 pound spaghetti squash
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or parsley
Additional parmesan cheese for passing

Pierce squash in several places with a long-tined fork or metal skewer. Place on baking pan and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Using potholders, squeeze squash to test for doneness. It is ready when it gives slightly under pressure. Remove and cool.

Heat a saucepan over heat, pour in olive oil. Add garlic and cook until tender but not browned for about 5 minutes.


When squash is cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Using a fork, pull pulp from the shell in long strands and add them to the warm garlic oil.
Toss squash strands gently with pepper, salt and cheese. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with basil or parsley. Serve immediately. Pass additional cheese at the table. Serves 6.

Variations

Strains of cooked spaghetti squash can be tossed with your favorite marinara sauce, mushroom sauce or pesto. The empty shell halves are nice to use as a serving bowl.



BAKED ACORN SQUASH

1 Acorn Squash, halved
2 pats of butter
2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
Salt & pepper

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Scoop the seeds out of each half with a spoon. Add 1 pat of butter, 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, salt and pepper to the hollow scoop of each half. Place upright on a greased cookie sheet and roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender when flesh is poked with a fork.



Stuffed Acorn Squash for Two

1 medium acorn squash
1 T. butter, melted
2 T. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 lb. ground beef or sausage
3 T. each chopped onion & celery
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. sage
3/4 c. milk
1 c. croutons
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut squash in half; scoop out seeds & goo.Place cut side down in baking pan, add 1/2 c. hot water. Bake 30 minutes. Drain water, turn squash over. Brush with butter; sprinkle with brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt & pepper. Bake 30-40 minutes longer or until tender.
Cook ground beef, onion & celery, drain. Stir in flour, sage & salt. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil; cook & stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in croutons. Spoon into squash halves. Bake, uncovered, 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer.