Best Acorn Squash Recipe with Vanilla Rum Sauce (2024)

FAQs

Does acorn squash need to be peeled before cooking? ›

Good news: you don't need to peel acorn squash. Its hard, grooved skin softens significantly as it cooks, and it's edible, too. If you do want to remove the skin, wait until after you cook it, at which point it will peel right off.

If you plan on making anything sweet, such as ice creams, desserts, or toppings of any type, then using a rum-based vanilla extract is the perfect choice as it really brings out the sweetness of the vanilla beans. Dark, gold, and spiced rums are also options.

You can place the squash in cold water for 5 minutes to speed up the process or wait until the squash is cool enough to handle. Just make sure to fully dry off the squash before proceeding to cut away the peel. Use a knife or a serrated peeler to slice off the softened skin.

Acorn squash is packed with both soluble and insoluble fiber. Though they have different functions in your body, both play important roles in digestive health. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stools while soluble fiber softens them, preventing constipation and supporting regular bowel movements ( 13 ).

This squash has a lot of antioxidants, which can boost your immunity and help your body to fight off certain diseases. Acorn squash contains antioxidants like vitamin C that help strengthen bones and blood vessels. It also has vitamin A, which helps improve the health of your lungs, heart and other vital organs.

Skip eating most hard-skinned squash raw. "Hard skinned squash is difficult to eat raw," Marz says. "They are usually much larger in size, have a harder flesh, and are much more fibrous." Examples of hard-skinned squash that should not be eaten raw include: pumpkins, delicate, butternut, Hubbard, and acorn.

Yes, You Can Eat the Skin of Acorn Squash and Other Winter Squashes—Here's How. Some varieties, like acorn squash and honeynut, have tender, tasty skin. Others, not so much.

Aged and dark rums are ideal when cooking dishes with strong flavors such as beef stews or pork, while white rums are often used for cooking seafood or poultry. Another rule: No matter the style, pick a high-quality brand, as a cheap hooch will make dishes taste bitter.

Bourbon has an inherent vanilla note to it already, which can enhance the flavor of the beans and make the extract richer. Rum will be sweeter and smoother (and slightly spicy, if using a spiced rum). The flavor will be warmer and richer than one made with vodka.

Bacardi Superior White Rum - This is a simple, affordable and very sweet rum. We like white rums because of their neutral flavor that allows the vanilla beans to be the star of your extract show, but since they are a sugar-based, they add sweetness to your vanilla that only rum can.

Do you eat the rind of acorn squash? ›

Acorn squash skin

A smaller vegetable than many of its squash cousins, the acorn squash has a soft, tender skin that cooks beautifully along with the flesh. It can be cut up and roasted, or stuffed and baked whole, and the skin will be just as tasty as the rest.

How to Prep Acorn Squash for Cooking. Learning how to cook acorn squash begins with its easy prep. It's a breeze since there is no real need to peel the squash, as the flesh separates easily from the skin and can be eaten directly from the shell once cooked. (Eating the skin is a personal preference—but it is edible.

Start by piercing the squash in the center along a depression line. Then, cut through the tip. Finish by slicing through the top portion just next to the stem. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits inside, and discard those pieces.

Zinnia flowers and marigolds grow alongside squash plants in this home garden. Planting a variety of flowers alongside squash invites pollinators as well as other beneficial insects to help out in your garden. Zinnia flowers and marigolds grow alongside squash plants in this home garden.

Radishes, peas, peppermint, dill, parsley, oregano, and even flowers like marigolds or nasturtiums are a few other options for gardeners. Most importantly, zucchini and squash should grow with plants that also need regular watering but don't take up too much space.

Try summer squash raw or spiraled into “zoodles” as a healthy substitution for noodles. They're also yummy sautéed or roasted with olive oil. Winter squash is delicious (and sugary sweet like a sweet potato) when roasted. And both are great additions to soups and pastas.

"Autumnal squash pairs especially well with herbs and spices like sage, thyme, cumin, ginger and chili," Ceri Jones, a professional chef in London, tells LIVESTRONG.com. "It also goes well with meaty flavors such as pork or creamy, salty cheese like feta."