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Baked Acorn Squash

Photo Credit
Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock
The Editors
Yield
Serves 6.
Category
Vegetables
Course
Side Dishes
Occasions
Thanksgiving
Preparation Method
Bake
Sources
Holiday Entertaining
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Acorn squash makes the perfect fall vegetable dish with its golden color. When baked, this gift from the garden has a tender, mouthwatering taste, especially when enhanced with a bit of butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup.

We serve the squash in halves as little “boats,”—but you could also scoop out cooked squash and mound into a single serving bowl.

Tip: It’s hard to overcook squash, it just gets better with more caramelization. But don’t undercook it.

Ingredients
3 small acorn squash, cut in half
1/3 cup maple syrup OR juice from 3 oranges
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small bits
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt, to taste
Optional: Top with brown sugar and maple syrup, to taste
Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash squash, carefully cut into halves from tip to stem. Remove seeds and pulp with a metal spoon, but do not peel.

Place cut sides up in deep baking dish or roasting pan. Spread butter and sprinkling of salt and nutmeg on the inside of the squash.

Combine maple syrup OR orange juice and brown sugar in saucepan and cook slowly over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Brush mixture into cavities of each squash half.

Pour a small amount of boiling water into bottom of baking dish (about 1/4-inch across bottom) and cover tightly with tinfoil.

Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes, or until squash can easily be pierced with a fork from the rind side in; the flesh should be soft. The tops of the squash halves should be lightly browned. 

Optional: Crumble a tablespoon of brown sugar into the center of each half and drizzle with a teaspoon of maple syrup.

 

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The Old Farmer's Almanac Editors

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Comments

Ed (not verified)

1 year 3 months ago

Not sure what is with all the sweetener in so many of these recipes, Maple syrup this, and brown sugar that. We just do squashes on their own merit. Butter, Salt & Pepper is all we ever use. The Pine Nuts (as suggested), or Pecans, look appealing as well.
As to the cutting, I just knock off the stem (generally dry and difficult to cut), and cut lengthwise. It's not easy, just slow & steady. My wife will always have me do it if she is cooking. A 10" slicer is essential.

Janice Cagan-Teuber (not verified)

1 year 11 months ago

I stuff my acorn squash with roasted pine nuts and brown rice. I put a little butter & brown sugar in the cups of the squash, then mix the pine nuts and cooked brown rice together and fill the cups of the squash, then bake til the squash is done. Delish!

Lynn (not verified)

3 years ago

I love them too. But it is so hard to cut them. I wish there was an easier way.
I just split them and put butter and salt and pepper on them and bake them.
That is a great idea to give the seeds to the animals. I didn't think of that.
Thanks for that idea.

A ROCKWELL (not verified)

3 years 1 month ago

We have baked Acorn Squash; such an easy scrumptious Squash dish to make; use the seeds as bird/squirrels;

helen Rose (not verified)

3 years 1 month ago

I LOVE butter squash, an pumpkin pies in the fall around thanksgiving or an time
if could only, get some one to cut them in half an quarters, which, advantually do.
thank to the farmers the produce them an all vegetables,a dairy for use to live on the
farm an we had more then, enough even the chickens loved the seeds of pumpkins etc. god less the farmers. now an in the coming future, Amen,

Elizabeth (not verified)

1 year ago

All squash is wonderful! A tip for cutting the hard rinds is to poke a couple of holes on either side and zap them in the microwave for about a minute. They should be much easier to cut.

Agree, for butternut squash cut each end off, pierce with knife multiple times into tough skin, then lay squash in a microwave safe bowl and cook in microwave on high for 3 min, depending on size. Be careful when handling, could be hot. Easy to slice through squash using long blade knife.