Best Acorn Squash Recipe with Vanilla Rum Sauce (2024)

FAQs

What does acorn squash pair well with? ›

Try serving this roasted squash recipe with salmon or other fish. Or, roasted chicken, pork chops, grilled steak, or even as a vegetarian main dish with other foods.

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.

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.

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.

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 ).

Acorn squash is rich in antioxidants, which can neutralize potentially harmful molecules called free radicals. These antioxidants can help to protect people against health issues like arthritis, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.

You'll know when the squash is done when you can easily insert a fork in the flesh. You want it tender, yet not mushy. If the squash is already cut in half, you can easily test if it is done by sticking a fork in the flesh of the squash. If it's fork-tender, it's done cooking and ready to eat.

Use small amounts of McCormick Culinary Imitation Rum Extract as an exceptional substitute for rum in recipes; 2 teaspoons of rum extract equals 1 tablespoon of dark rum, or 1 tablespoon of rum extract equals 5 tablespoons of light rum.

Spirits such as bourbon, brandy, rum, and vanilla liqueur can mimic the rich, caramelly taste of vanilla extract. Use 2 tsp of alcohol to replace 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

You need only 2 ingredients: vodka and vanilla beans. That's really it! You can use rum or bourbon instead of vodka, but the flavors won't be as clean. I used rum for a batch, and we didn't like it very much.

How do you cut acorn squash too hard? ›

The first and most important thing to have on-hand is a very sharp chef's knife or a longer, thick utility knife. Lay the squash on it's side. Raise a knife 3-4 inches above the squash and give it a little chop to break into it. Using your other hand, press down on the top of the blade and slice all the way through.

Selection: Acorn squash should be uniformly green and matte—streaks/spots of orange are fine, but too much orange indicates over ripeness and the squash will be dry and stringy.

Radishes. Radishes are vigorous plants that can be harvested in just 21 days. Interplanting squash with radishes will put the empty soil beneath squash vines to good use and it will provide you with a tasty harvest of fresh veggies while you're waiting for your squash plants to ripen.

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.

Acorn squash: It has less vitamin A than butternut but provides even more fiber (9 grams per cup) and potassium (896 mg). Pumpkin: This squash has beta carotene and also contains more than twice as much alpha carotene as butternut squash.

A ripe Acorn Squash is heavy for its size and has smooth, dull skin, and no soft spots. A good mix between green and orange coloring is desired. Avoid an Acorn Squash that has shiny skin, which indicates it was picked before full maturity, unless the producer has applied wax.