15 Types of Squash and the Best Ways to Use Them
Squash 101
There’s a lot to love about squash. It’s delicious, nutritious and wonderfully versatile. Squash dinner ideas use pretty much all methods of cooking—you can serve it sauteed, baked, roasted, grilled and boiled, just to name a few. Oh, and get this: Although squash is eaten as a vegetable, it’s actually a fruit! In fact, squash is technically a berry, which is defined as a fleshy fruit with many seeds. Who knew?
Botanical definition aside, squash is enjoyed as you would other veggies: layered in sandwiches, tossed with pasta, or blended into savoury soups. In other words, it’s not difficult to find a meal that would benefit from squash! There are also two main categories to choose from: summer and winter squash, which are classified based on the season they peak in.
Ready to explore the scrumptious world of squash? You’ll have variety—and vitamins.
Health Benefits of Squash
15 Types of Squash and Their Uses
1. Courgette
Known for its deep green hue and cylindrical shape, courgette (also known as zucchini) is the ultimate summer veg. It can be enjoyed raw or cooked, depending on your mood. For example, if you’re craving a crunch, eat courgette raw in salads or as noodles, aka ‘zoodles’. Alternatively, to bring out its sweetness, you can cook the squash until al dente. We’re particularly big fans of stuffing courgette with tasty ingredients like grains, veggies and cheese—or all of the above, as with this mushroom stuffed courgette recipe.
2. Yellow Squash
Yellow squash looks like zucchini but with a pale-yellow colour. It’s sometimes simply called ‘summer squash,’ as it peaks during the warmer months. Yellow squash can be found in two varieties: straightneck, which has a wide bottom and tapered neck, and crookneck, which has a curved, banana-like shape. The flavour of yellow squash is on par with zucchini— it’s mild, slightly sweet and irresistibly delicious, making it an intriguing choice to swap in one of our favourite dinner recipes, corn and zucchini risotto. Use ’em just like you would green zucchini or serve them together for a colourful summer meal.
3. Acorn Squash
Acorn squash is shaped like—you guessed it—an acorn. It has deep ridges and a dark green rind that hides a bright orange flesh. Compared with other winter squashes, the acorn variety has a drier and denser texture, though it’s just as tasty. It’s also on the smaller side, so it can be halved and stuffed to create two perfectly portioned edible ‘bowls’. Try replacing standard squash in our squash and pancetta penne bake.
4. Round Zucchini
As the name suggests, round zucchini are circular varieties of green zucchini. They’re also known as tatume squash and are staples in Mexican cuisine. About the size of a baseball, a round zucchini looks like a shrunken green pumpkin. Their round, small shape makes them perfect for slicing, grilling and serving as patties—great for a true veggie burger.
5. Butternut Squash
If you love sweet potatoes, you’ll adore butternut squash. Its flavour is comparable to sweet potatoes but with a more butterscotch-type taste. The bell-shaped winter squash also has a bright orange flesh that caramelises beautifully when roasted or baked. From there, you can mash it up and enjoy it as is—or, if you’re feeling creative, in a quesadilla with smoked gouda and sliced apples or in a taco with crispy cauliflower.
6. Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash might be one of the most interesting veggies. It has a mild-tasting flesh that, once cooked, separates into stringy spaghetti-like strands. Unsurprisingly, squash is also known as vegetable spaghetti and is often enjoyed like noodles. Try tossing cooked spaghetti squash with your go-to pasta sauce, like marinara or pesto, or whip up our simple ham and butternut squash linguini.
7. Pumpkin
Pumpkins have become synonymous with fall, and for good reason, too. During the cooler months, you can find winter squash in myriad recipes, from pumpkin spice latte to warm pumpkin pie. But why limit yourself to the sweet stuff? Pumpkins also work well in savoury applications, like pasta sauce, curry or soup, such as this butternut squash curry with rice. For ultimate fall vibes, try pairing it with hardy fall herbs like sage, rosemary and oregano.
8. Pattypan Squash
It’s hard not to love the pattypan squash. For starters, it has a fun name—and it looks like a flying saucer. (Well, if flying saucers had scalloped edges, anyway.) Compared with other types of squash, the pattypan has a tougher flesh, so it’s ideal for high-heat cooking. The funky-shaped veggie also boasts a delightfully mild, buttery flavour that works well with crowd favourites, such as pasta and cheese.
9. Chayote Squash
Chayote—which is also known as vegetable pear, mango squash and mirliton—is a summer squash native to Guatemala. This squash can be cooked or otherwise prepared in numerous ways: Enjoy chayote raw in salads, blended into soups, pickled in brine, or even baked like apple pie. Or if you need a break from zoodles, the light green squash can be spiralised into veggie-based noodles. (So…choodles?)
10. Kabocha Squash
If you love Japanese food, you’ve likely had your fair share of kabocha squash. It’s a Japanese variety of winter squash and tastes similar to roasted chestnuts. In fact, in Japan, it’s also known as “chestnut squash.” The veggie grows in myriad colours—including grey-blue, dark green and red-orange—and looks like mini pumpkins.
11. Hubbard Squash
As one of the larger winter squashes, the Hubbard weighs about 15 to 20 pounds. It’s found in many colours, including light blue-green, dark green, yellow and orange. The flesh tastes similar to other winter squashes (think: butternut or acorn squash), though it’s known to be a bit grainy. To minimise this, enjoy hubbard squashes in the form of blended soups.
12. Delicata Squash
Though not as popular as butternut and acorn squash, delicata deserves a place on your autumn menu. The winter delicata squash, which is shaped like a cucumber, has an attractive yellow and green skin that works brilliantly with the colour palette of fall. It also tastes super sweet and somewhat nutty, so it can easily shine on its own in dishes—as evidenced in many of our squash dinner recipes.
13. Honeynut Squash
At about 6 inches tall, the honeynut squash looks like a mini version of the butternut. But don’t be so quick to compare them. Thanks to its smaller size and lower water weight, the honeynut is more concentrated in flavour. It’s said to be so sweet that it resembles caramel (yum!), which works well in autumn recipes, such as warm salads and creamy squash soups.
14. Carnival Squash
Here’s another squash with a fun name: The carnival squash is a cross between the acorn and sweet dumpling squash, a type of delicata. It’s also super eye-catching, thanks to its vibrant yellow-orange rind and dark green spots. That said, you might be tempted to keep carnival squash as a fall centrepiece, but trust us—you’ll want to add it to your recipes. When cooked, the yellow flesh tastes like sweet potatoes and works magnificently with ingredients such as cinnamon or paprika.
15. Zephyr Squash
The colourful zephyr is a hybrid of three different squashes: the yellow crookneck (mentioned above), yellow acorn squash and delicata. The result is a long, light-yellow squash that looks like its base has been dipped in green dye. This particular two-toned veggie, which peaks in the summer months, can be prepared just like zucchini and yellow squash.