Winter squash doesn’t have to be just for winter. Butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash all make great side dishes for summer too. Especially if you don’t have to turn your oven on to cook them.
No oven needed, because you can cook winter squash in the slow cooker!
I’ve tried both acorn and butternut squash this way and both work great. For the acorn squash, I washed it and cut it in half. After scooping out the seeds I placed it in a foil lined slow cooker. I used butter, brown sugar and a little salt and pepper to season it.
For the butternut squash, I intended to leave it with the rind on and just scoop out the cooked squash to serve. But it wasn’t fitting very well. And there was a bad place on the end I had to cut off. I ended up cutting all the rind off, which only took a minute or two. As long as you have a sharp knife, this isn’t a hard job.
I used the same butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper for the butternut squash. I know there are lots of other ways you could season it.
My kids did taste it, but only because we insisted. They hear the word “squash” and think “yuck”. You have to admit, it isn’t the best named vegetable, especially if you have a texture issue.
I cooked the squash on high for 3-4 hours. I’m sure you could cook it on low for 5-6 hours or longer. I’d like to try a spaghetti squash like this, but my kids refuse to try it again. I made one a few years ago and over baked it in the oven. I think it turned them off forever.
If you love using your slow cooker, check out our All Slow Cooker Weekly Meal Plan. It’s got all the planning done for you (including the grocery list) so you can go enjoy summer!