20 Kabocha Squash Recipes to Make While It’s Still in Season (2024)

FAQs

20 Kabocha Squash Recipes to Make While It’s Still in Season? ›

The kabocha skin is edible. Many Japanese kabocha recipes such as kabocha tempura and simmered kabocha require it to keep the skin on. However, if you want to show that beautiful orange color in your recipe, you have to remove the rind as the dark green kabocha skin will not keep the beautiful orange flesh color.

The kabocha skin is edible. Many Japanese kabocha recipes such as kabocha tempura and simmered kabocha require it to keep the skin on. However, if you want to show that beautiful orange color in your recipe, you have to remove the rind as the dark green kabocha skin will not keep the beautiful orange flesh color.

Kabocha is available all year but is best in late summer and early fall.

Kabocha Squash

Two of the more common, and nicest tasting are 'Red Kuri' (92-100 days) with its orange-red skinned fruits and smooth flesh that is less sweet but nicely flavored, and the gray-skinned 'Winter Sweet' (95 days), which has dry, sweet flesh.

If you eat an excessive amount of kabocha squash, or any yellow or orange fruit or vegetable containing beta carotene, you can develop carotenemia. This is a condition that can cause your skin to appear yellowish or orange. It's harmless, and the cure is simply to cut back on the carotene-containing foods.

You'll know kabocha squash is bad if you feel soft spots or if the color is off. If either is the case, don't buy them (or throw them away if you already bought them).

Kabocha squash (Cucurbita maxima) is a type of winter squash. It is a fruit that grows in bushes but is eaten as a vegetable. It can be round or oblate and weighs from 1.5 to 5.3 pounds. It has a hard, dark green, gray, or reddish-orange rind and yellow-to-orange flesh.

Cucurbits contain a group of chemicals called cucubitacins. It is these cucurbitacins that are responsible for squash that is bitter tasting. The higher the levels of cucubitacin, the more bitter the squash will taste.

Which Squash is Better than a Butternut? The kabocha won decisively. The deep orange flesh was creamy, without visible fibers. It had a slightly earthier and richer flavor than the butternut.

Kabocha squash had higher amounts of vitamins and C than pumpkin, while both showed similar mineral contents except for iron.

Is kabocha squash good for kidneys? ›

With concern for potassium levels, consider having squash in small amounts. Squash can be a good choice for many peritoneal and home hemodialysis patients when you may need to eat more potassium rich foods. Eating squash will not have an effect on forming kidney stones.

Supports Weight Loss

Many people use kabocha squash for weight loss, and for good reason. With less than 40 calories and 1.7 grams of fiber per cup, adding kabocha squash to your diet can be a great way to support feelings of satiety and boost weight loss.

To freeze, start by rinsing it, cutting it in half, and removing the seeds. From here, you can either cut it into slices or cubes. Place slices or cubes on a baking tray and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer cut squash to an airtight container or freezer bag and store for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Squash that has gone bad will have rotten spots that can be characterized as any brown spots or black spots on parts of the squash or the entire squash itself. If you see any cuts or blemishes and dark spots, the squash is spoiled.

Kabocha squash contains fiber and fluid, which help support healthy gut bacteria, bulk up poop, and hydrate the intestines for healthy digestion and bowel movements. To minimize digestive discomfort, gradually introduce high-fiber foods like squash.

I do have good news, though: there's no need to peel kabocha squash, as the skin is entirely edible. If your squash is particularly nubbly, you may want to trim away any brown, dry spots, but feel free to leave on the orange or green skin. I also have a trick to make the squash easier to cut.

The only winter squash skin to avoid eating altogether, even if well cooked, is spaghetti squash because of its thick, eggshell-like quality.

So petite butternut and kabocha squash don't necessarily need to be peeled. And even thicker-skinned squash is fine if you cook it long enough. "If you roast any squash for a long enough time, the skin is easier to eat," says Romano.