November 6, 2014
Holiday Shortcuts : Make-Ahead (and Freeze) Squash
One of my favorite side dishes for Thanksgiving is squash. In my opinion, it’s the perfect side. Adults and kids alike love the subtle flavor and texture. Better yet, it can be made ahead and frozen until Thanksgiving. The recipe is super easy to adapt to flavor palettes and diet restrictions as it can be prepared gluten and dairy free as well as paleo. Make up a batch for dinner some night this month and reserve half to freeze for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Cut in half and scoop out seeds.
Place flesh side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake at 450 degrees for 30-45 minutes – pierce through the skin with a fork to test for done-ness. When the fork doesn’t meet any resistance the squash is done.
Place ingredients in heat proof bowl – choose either savory or sweet ingredients or make some of each:
- SAVORY | salt and pepper to taste, a tablespoon or two of butter or olive oil, sage and thyme to taste
- SWEET | salt; a tablespoon or two of butter or coconut oil; a tablespoon or two of brown sugar, maple syrup, or coconut sugar, pumpkin spice or cinnamon to taste
Use a large spoon and scoop the squash out of the shell – I place the squash on a hot pad to scoop because it’s pretty hot.
Mix by hand or with a hand mixer or an immersion blender. Serve immediately OR freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat in the microwave or stovetop before serving. I used acorn squash for this recipe but you can use your favorite squash.
This is part of a series all about seasonal shortcuts – go here to see all the posts in the series.
Alicia Says
Thanks for the shortcut! I guess it’s self-explanatory, but I’m assuming you scoop the squash out of the rinds and add it to the seasonings? Do other sorts of squash freeze as well as acorn squash?
Becky Says
Post authorHi Alicia! I forgot to add that picture but it’s updated now – thanks! Yes, scoop the squash out first 🙂 And any squash can be prepped and frozen like this. Yum!
Alicia Says
Hi Becky! I see lots of butternut and Hokkaido squash here in Germany, but I don’t think I’ve seen acorn, so it’s good to know that other squash freezes well, too. Freezing sounds much more appealing to me than pickling, which is how Germans generally preserve squash and pumpkin. Not a fan of pickled pumpkin! 🙂
Robyn Says
Thanks….I wondered if acorn squash froze well! Just a tip….try roasting those seeds you scoop out. Acorn squash seeds are terrific roasted! Even better than pumpkin seeds….I wish they were widely available commercially!