Roasted Kabocha w/ Maple Syrup and Ginger

If you’ve never tried a Kabocha squash, you’re in for a treat this week. This squash variety is round like a pumpkin, sweet like a sweet potato, and delicious like both of those two veggies! Originally from Japan, Kabocha squash is fluffy and has a slightly nutty flavor. Like other orange-fleshed veggies, Kabocha is rich in beta-carotene. It is also low carb and high in fiber and iron!

Kabocha squash has edible skin, but even though it is edible, it is still quite tough and difficult to cut through. For this reason, we usually throw ours in the oven for fifteen minutes or so before cutting—just long enough to cook the skin and make it easier to handle.

Like most squash, kabocha is lovely halved, seeded, and roasted face down. To optimize the carmalization flavor, though, we like to slice it narrowly before roasting, as is done in this recipe for Roasted Kabocha with Maple Syrup and Ginger.

Pro tip: Like a pumpkin, kabocha squash has roastable seeds. Save ‘em, salt ‘em, and eat ‘em!