Squash and Tree Nuts—the Perfect Fall Pairing

• Date posted:  09/30/2025 
• Posted in:
• Nut Usage Ideas,

It’s October and thoughts of Halloween spring to mind with those wonderful winter squash and pumpkins bursting onto the shelves. The huge variety offers us a multitude of recipe ideas, and all pair beautifully with tree nuts.

Like nuts, winter squash is rich in nutrients that support heart health, the immune system and diabetes management, among other health benefits. They are a great source of fiber, carotenoids (a precursor to vitamin A), magnesium, potassium, vitamins C, B6 and folate. And, surprisingly for such a dense, sweet and sustaining vegetable, they are fairly low in calories (around half the calories of potato).

So, aside from carving scary faces out of these beautiful gourds, here are some delicious ideas for preparing various squash with tree nuts:

Butternut Squash with Walnuts in Pasta – The most common of squash, butternut has a mild flavor and smooth texture and lends itself to many applications – roasted, grilled, steamed, grated and pureed. For a wonderful cool day pasta, sauté thin slices of butternut in olive oil until golden and tender, adding walnuts and sage in last few minutes. Toss with warm pasta and sprinkle shredded parmesan on top with a squeeze of lemon. Pine nuts make a delicious alternative!

Kabocha Squash Soup with Macadamias – Kabocha is great roasted, mashed like potatoes, grilled and grated raw. In Australia it is simply cut into wedges and added to the roasting pan with any baked dinner as well as often being used as side dish of puree. But it’s earthiness and intense color make it perfect for soups as well. In this recipe, macadamias are used to both thicken and decorate the soup and the two go perfectly together. Kabocha is also the perfect squash for curries, both Indian and Thai, especially with coconut milk and lime, finished with a sprinkling of cashews.

Delicata and Hazelnut Salad – This elongated pale creamy yellow squash with green lines, is one of the easiest to prepare. Roasting brings out its sweetness and the shape makes it ideal for stuffing, but many chefs love this squash for a warm winter salad. Simply slice, toss in oil and roast, adding nuts for the last five minutes. Prepare a winter green salad and toss with a mustardy vinaigrette, then add the squash and hazelnuts.

Stuffed Acorn Squash – Another great squash for roasting and stuffing, its flavor is perfect with grains such as wild rice or farro, and nuts such as almonds and pecans. Simply cut in half, scrape out the seeds and drizzle with some oil. Place in a casserole dish with ½ inch water. Cover with foil and roast 20-30 minutes or until nearly tender. Toss cooked rice or grains with nuts and herbs such as basil, sage or rosemary and place in the squash cavity, sprinkle with cheese, and roast 10 minutes more. This is a meal in itself and great for the holidays.

Honeynut and Pistachio Squash Cake – A hybrid of butternut and buttercup, this squash is becoming more and more common due to its rich and sweet taste, versatility and ease of preparation. And being a small squash, you don’t have to have a week’s menu plan when purchasing one. Because it is so dense and sweet, it’s the ideal squash for pumpkin cake or pie – just pick your favorite recipe and substitute with this little gem, then top with a crust of pistachios for a lively contrast.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash – Often overlooked in the squash section due to its color and unique texture, this squash is nature’s gift of noodles. Rich in vitamins A and C, potassium and magnesium, spaghetti squash is also low in carbohydrates and calories.

Simply cut in half, scrape out the seeds, brush with oil and season with salt and pepper, then place cut side down on a rack in an oven tray. Bake at 400° F for 30-40 minutes, then, when tender, fluff up strands with a fork. Add some extra olive oil or butter and a sprinkling of chopped roasted nuts, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, and voila, it’s the ideal side dish or even light meal.