An Intro into Squash

I've never been a big squash fan, but once I moved up north I've starting to see the benefits of the food group in the cooler, fall months. The starchy texture and flavor of squash is really filling when it gets cold, so I've started to expand my recipe repertoire to see what squash can do for me.

Acorn Squash with Rosemary and Brown Sugar

I started with a recipe I found at The Bitten Word, although their review wasn't so stellar. Despite being warned, I tried it anyway. It wasn't all that bad—the brown sugar overpowered the dish with its sweetness, but lemon helped cut that down a tad. With six more wedges to eat, I decided to set them aside and try again the next night, only this time cube the squash and add it into a pasta recipe:

Sweet Acorn Squash in Brown Butter Sauce

Sweet Acorn Squash Pasta in Brown Butter Sauce
Converted from a Fine Cooking recipe

• One 2-lb. acorn squash (unpeeled), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. pasta

• 2-3 T. butter
• 1 t. Rosemary

1. Using a paring knife, score each wedge of squash lengthwise down the middle of the flesh. Heat the butter and oil in a straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Arrange the squash in the pan in a single layer and cook, flipping occasionally, until deep golden-brown on all cut sides.
2. Carefully pour the wine into the pan, then quickly scatter the brown sugar, rosemary, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper over the squash. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the squash is almost tender, about 10 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, heat a pot of water to boil and add in pasta.
4. Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium. Flip the squash and cook until the liquid is thick and the squash is tender, about 5 minutes more. 
5. In a separate pan, heat butter until it browns, then add in rosemary leaves. (Note: If you have a lot of liquid left in your squash pan, you can skip this step)
6. Season with salt and pepper, cube into 1 inch pieces. Add pasta to pan and serve. Sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano.

Adding the sweet squash to pasta helped break up that sweetness, and the brown butter sauce made the entire meal really delicious and rich.

So what other squash recipes should I try? I think I'll explore Butternut and Spaghetti squash next, and maybe a soup recipe or two. Any suggestions?