If you've never tried Carnival Squash now is the time! It's a delicious winter squash with naturally sweet flavor, creamy texture and easily cooked in the oven or the air fryer! This recipe works great with acorn squash too.
This pretty squash is perfect for the holiday season but that's just the start! It's a delicious side dish with roasted meats, other roast vegetables, sausage and more. Its maple syrup-like flavor makes it a favorite and it doesn't need additional sugar added to its natural amazing flavor.
You've probably seen carnival squash in the grocery store before and did not know what it was. This speckled beauty is a hybrid of the sweet dumpling squash and an acorn squash. It can have green or orange coloring against a cream-colored background.
It's shaped similarly to an acorn squash and is about the same size too. The flavor of the flesh has a nutty flavor and is sweeter than butternut squash for instance.
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Carnival Squash facts
- The skin is edible.
- Availability: early fall through winter.
- Appearance: it's a small squash with furrows. Cream-colored base with spots of green, orange, white or yellow depending on its maturity. They make pretty holiday table décor before they are cooked too!
- Flavor: when cooked it's creamy, buttery sweet with a flavor similar to maple syrup.
- Nutrition: in addition to being low calorie the squash is a source of potassium, vitamins A and C, calcium, magnesium, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-6 fatty acids. The nutritional value makes this low calorie squash a great choice for a simple side dish.
- Uses: can be used in place of or in the same way butternut squash, kabocha squash or acorn squash is used.
What makes this skinny?
- Carnival squash has only 30 calories for a ¾ cup serving. It also has 1 gram of protein and 1 gram of fiber. It's a great substitute for sweet potatoes which have 86 calories for the same size serving.
- Cooking with olive oil spray keeps the oil calories down.
- Often winter squash is cooked with brown sugar to enhance the already sweet flavored flesh. By using simple seasonings and keep it savory all those sugar calories are avoided.
Recipe Ingredients Notes
Carnival squash. You'll need one carnival squash (usually around 2 pounds). Choose a squash free of blemishes, soft spots or any shriveling. It should be firm to the touch.
Halve the squash (stem to bottom) and remove the seeds and membrane before starting the recipe (photos 1-2 below). You'll find it in grocery stores with the other winter squash or at Farmer's Markets. Rinse and pat the skin dry because it's edible.
Olive oil spray. You'll spritz the squash halves (cut side) to add a coating of oil for the spices to stick too and to create a crust when roasting or air frying.
Kosher salt. We recommend and use kosher salt because it's a less salty tasting salt.
Black pepper. Use freshly ground black pepper if possible.
Italian seasoning. This blend of seasonings gives great flavor to the squash. You can make your own Italian seasoning or buy it at the grocery store.
How to roast Carnival Squash
Either method makes a delicious roasted carnival squash (or acorn squash). Roasting in the oven takes longer (40 minutes versus 25 in the air fryer) and will leave the squash more golden in color.
Oven method
STEP 1. Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Mix together.
Place the squash onto the prepared pan cut side up. Spritz with olive oil spray and sprinkle on the seasoning mixture (photo 3).
STEP 2. Bake
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes (photo 4). The squash should be fork tender (this can vary depending on the size of the squash being cooked). If not allow to cook slightly longer until it is.
Air Fryer method
STEP 1. Preparation
Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F.
In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Mix together.
Spritz the cut side of the squash with olive oil spray and sprinkle on the seasoning mixture (photo 1).
STEP 2. Air Fry
Place the squash into the air fryer basket skin side down. Cook on 370 degrees for 25 minutes or until the squash flesh is fork tender (photo 2).
Variations
Try different spices. Ginger, garlic, cinnamon, and nutmeg are popular spices for winter squash and work great with carnival squash too.
Sprinkle a bit of salty parmesan cheese or feta cheese. I love adding a salty contrast to the sweet squash. After cooking a sprinkle of parmesan cheese or fat-reduced feta cheese is delicious.
How to eat it
- The cooked carnival squash can be scooped, mashed, or served in sliced into wedges (allow it to cool slightly before slicing). The sweet flavors makes it a great side dish for our Instant Pot Turkey Breast Roast or Air Fryer Turkey Breast.
- It can be used in a pureed squash soup or added to soups (carnival squash soup would be delicious), stews or chili.
- It could also be stuffed like our Acorn Squash recipe.
Expert tips
Air fryer cooking. Every brand, style and size of air fryer cooks slightly differently. It's important to monitor the cook as it cooks in your air fryer for best results.
This carnival squash recipe was developed using a Cosori XL 5.8qt 1700 watt air fryer. Smaller air fryer baskets may require cooking the squash in batches.
Take care when cutting. As with other winter squashes the thick skin of carnival squash can be challenging to cut through. Use a large sharp knife to make cuts through the squash from the bottom moving toward the stem.
Be careful when cutting. The first part of this video on cutting an acorn squash may help (do not proceed to cutting it into wedges as the video shows; just in half).
How to store
A fresh carnival squash can be stored in a cool, dark location for up to 1 month before cooking.
The cooked squash can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! We recommend letting it cool fully and scooping the flesh out of the skin for freezing. Freeze in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
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Recipe
Roasted Carnival Squash
Ingredients
- 1 carnival squash (1.5 to 2 pounds); halved stem to tip, seeds and membrane removed
- olive oil spray
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Oven method
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Mix together.½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Place the squash onto the prepared pan cut side up. Spritz with olive oil spray and sprinkle on the seasoning mixture.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. The squash should be fork tender (this can vary depending on the size of the squash being cooked). If not allow to cook slightly longer until it is.
Air Fryer method
- Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F. In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Mix together.
- Spritz the cut side of the squash with olive oil spray and sprinkle on the seasoning mixture.
- Place the squash into the air fryer basket skin side down. Cook on 370 degrees for 25 minutes or until the squash flesh is fork tender.
sarah says
Loved how the little crisp on the edges changed the flavor a bit, in a great way.
Irena says
Thanks! have never cooked this squash before but always thought it was so pretty. Used this recipe as a guide but also added some garlic and onion powder.
Dana says
This is so simple and so good! Definitely plan to make this again. I did it in the air fryer and it came out perfect.
Catherine says
This was wonderful and so easy too. I ate it with some rice and a little vinaigrette like a warm salad. Perfect winter meal!
Kristen says
I made this for dinner last night and it turned out so well. My whole family enjoyed it!
wilhelmina says
This was a new squash variety for me, but I was able to find it at my local store. I am so glad I did! It is so creamy and delicious, I think it's a new family favorite!