I’m still on crutches and I can’t bend my leg, but don’t worry I have some fabulous news… I’ve officially found my favorite squash!
It’s a kabocha squash. Often called a Japanese Pumpkin, this squash is the sweetest variety that I’ve found, even sweeter than my other favorite winter squash, butternut. The texture smooth and creamy but hearty enough to roast – basically a cross between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. It’s packed with fiber, beta-carotene, iron, vitamin C and B vitamins and has fewer calories and carbs than butternut squash. The best part is that the skin is completely edible so you don’t have to peel it before roasting. Of course, you really don’t have to peel butternut squash either but the skin of butternut is definitely a tougher than that of kabocha squash.
The only issue is that kabocha squash is a little hard for me to find here in Richmond. For the past few years I couldn’t find it anywhere except our local Asian food markets. Lucky for me they are quite abundant this year – I’ve seen them at our local farmers market and I got this one at Ellwood Thompson’s.
My favorite way to cook kabocha squash and any other vegetable for that matter is to roast it.
You can cut kabocha into slices but I thought it would be fun to do chunks and eat them dipped in ketchup like tater tots. It was a fabulous idea.
For one batch I used a little coconut oil and sea salt, for the other I didn’t put anything on the squash. Coconut oil makes everything taste rich and delicious and the sea salt enhances the flavor but both methods work fine. It just depends on whether you want/need the added fat and salt in your diet.
- 1 kabocha squash
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
- sea salt (optional)
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Wash the outside of the squash with warm water.
- Cut the squash in half and scoop out all the seeds. You can peel the outer skin of the squash but don’t need to – it softens right up when cooked and it’s perfectly fine to eat.
- Cut the squash into 1-inch chunks.
- Toss the squash with oil (if using), sprinkle with sea salt and spread on a roasting pan.
- Roast the squash for 15 minutes, remove from oven to toss, then roast for another 10-15 minutes, or until tender with a few brown spots.
Serve these little tots with your favorite veggie burger for the perfect meal. Check out these curried pumpkin black bean burgers or these black bean burgers if you need some inspiration. I had mine with a locally made NoBull burger, which btw, was delicious! I’m glad I had those on hand as they were super easy for Isaac, my personal chef as of late, to whip up. 
As a quick update on the knee injury - I have my MRI scheduled for Thursday of this week and then a follow up appointment on Friday to find out the results. Praying for good news.
Last but not least, the winner of the OneBar giveaway has been announced on the original post. Have a great night friends.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
These look simple and very tasty! I love when squash gets all baked and slightly crispy.
Hope you are healing up quickly!
oh, these sound tasty. especially on a cold winter night. i don’t think i’ve ever tried kabocha squash.
This sounds so so good! Feel better!!
YUM!!! This is such a great idea! I’ve only had kabocha squash once but I remember liking it! I hope your leg is feeling better!!
I LOVE kabocha squash! It’s been all over Minnesota this fall, too. My other favorite squash: buttercup. It’s really similar to kabocha… creamy, sweet and delicious.
Healthy vibes your way! Hope your knee is better soon!
Thanks so much Erin. I haven’t had buttercup in a long time. I need to try it again.
Kabocha is my absolute favorite too. It makes a great soup–just peel and cut up one squash. Sauté one chopped onion in a little butter and/or olive oil until soft. Add squash plus 4-6 cups broth (turkey, chicken or veg). Bring to a boil and simmer until squash is very soft. Mash it up a little then add salt to taste. Puree with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender, very carefully) until smooth and beautifully orange. Season with a little white pepper. Yum. Also, if you’ve never tried delicata squash I recommend it, roasted in semi-circles or sticks (“fries”). The skin is edible and beautifully striped green and yellow.
love love love kabocha squash!
Well, I’ve been following your blog for some time now and had a moment today that totally made me think of you..my husband didn’t get it. I was roasting some veggies and forgot about them – result? They burnt to a crisp…now I get how easy it is to let them “roast” too long! They were way beyond help, not even crushed red pepper flakes could help this batch of veggies, haha!
Favourite thing to eat in the ENTIRE world! I need my fill most days!!!
I keep hearing about kabocha squash but have yet to try it! I think I will have to try this recipe though!
I hope your knee gets better soon!
I really like kabocha squash but my favorite is delicata. I love to roast all squash with coconut oil and onions are really tasty with coconut oil as well.
SOOOoooo glad I stumbled upon your site…. it’s rare I ever find a local blog when searching for recipes.
This sounds amazing… I’ll have to run by Ellwood after the gym tonight. I Love the NoBull Burger!! I moved here from CVILLE where they’re made and thought I’d have to drive an hour to have one again. Grateful there are store’s in the area that support locally grown and produced goods!
Sorry to hear about your injury!!
I absolutely loooove kabocha! it’s so tasty
I hope your knee gets better soon!!
Heck yes! A mix btwn sweet potato and pumpkin? It’d be my favorite too. Once I finish off my acorn squash that will be next on my list! I swear I saw them at TFM as well. I remember because I was confused with the kabocha and whether it was related to kombucha. Clearly I’ve never had it before and I swear winter makes my mind fuzzy
Looks yummy. I love butternut squash but hate pumpkin! Does it have a pumpkin-flavor?
If you like butternut squash, I think you’d love Kabocha squash. It’s not too pumpkiny.
Thanks so much for the recipe! I’ve never tried Kabocha squash, but it sounds amazing!
just bought one today and cooking it tonight!!! thanks, B!
Woo-hoo!
Roasting in the process! Can’t wait to taste it ^^
Yay! Let me know what you think.
Yum! We use kabocha squash in the restaurant almost every day – great addition to curries! Served up like this it’s just amazing! Great snack to have on stand by – so incredibly addictive!
A cross between a sweet potato and a pumpkin?!? Sign me up!!! Hope everything with your MRI goes well!
I looove kabocha! Will have to make these tots
This sounds GREAT Brit; I love roasted veggies!!
This is the first time I’ve tried cooking this type of squash and it worked out beautifully! Thanks for the cooking tips.
Wanted to thank you for your wonderful kabocha-tot recipe!
My Dad LOVES squash and this was the first time either of us had had kabocha. I mixed it with olive oil with a dash of sesame oil (all I had) and sprinkled with sea salt. Roasted per your instructions and we both loved it! I only made half the squash and he asked me how soon I would be making the other half. Thank you so much for a wonderful new way to make squash Brittany!
Aww. Thank you so much for such a sweet comment. I’m so glad you and your dad enjoyed the recipe. I actually made kabocha tots for dinner last night.
Your recipe for Kabocha Squash sounds great. I’m heating up the oven and looking forward to trying this squash for the first time.
Hi, this is the first time I have tried the recipe. Mine came out really dry. I used two T coconut oil and cooked for only 25 minutes. Do you think I could have gotten a bad squash? It was pretty big! Thanks!
Just found this squash (in northern NH). Absolutely the best! I love dry squash. This one has amazing flavor ( my favorite previously was blue hubbard)…even just steamed with butter and s&p. The label said it came out of Mexico,but that is not necesarily where it originated from. Bet I can cut it in half, seed it, turn it cut side up, seed it, add brown sugar and butter, bake it….and it would be absolutley amazing