What's not to love about winter squash? It's delicious, comforting, sweet and earthy, with a heavenly, creamy texture. It comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors, in varieties like butternut, kabocha, delicata, hubbard, buttercup, acorn, and carnival. Winter squash is even more special thanks to its wide range of uses, from the savory to the sweet, everything from risotto to bread, soup to pie.
With its sheer versatility, it's hard to get enough winter squash. But if you reach your limit, overbought, or just simply want some when it's out of season, freeze it for a no-fuss extension not the season.
Freezing raw squash is not only simple, it's preferred. You may decide to blanch the squash before you freeze it if you're worried about the taste, texture, color, and nutrients staying intact, but it is truly unnecessary, and the vegetable will last just as long whether you complete this extra tedious step or not.
No matter what you decide, do yourself one favor – peel and slice the squash before freezing it if it's one of the types that requires it for cooking.
Peel the squash and remove the seeds with a spoon. (Toss these innards or reserve the seeds for roasting later.)
Slice the squash into manageable chunks, like 1-inch cubes or slices.
Spread the cubes or slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze at least one hour, or until fully frozen.
Transfer the frozen squash to a zip-top bag, remove as much air as possible, and store in the freezer for up to a year. Make sure to label and date the bag(s).
When you're ready to use the raw squash, transfer what you need to a new bag, and toss it in the fridge to thaw overnight. Or, if pressed for time, drizzle the frozen squash with olive oil and roast it right from frozen. You can also toss it directly into a soup, stew, chili, risotto, etc.
Cooked squash fares best by pureeing it first and freezing it in that form. This helps preserve the squash but keeps the flavor and especially the texture intact when it's defrosted, saving you from a mushy, gloopy mess. There's a reason the popular thanksgiving side dish is often served in this manner, transformed from a brick-shaped package purchased in the store freezer section to a piping hot bowl of comfort on the table.
Roast the squash. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and place the halves cut-side down in a baking dish. Pour in ½ inch of water. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 40 to 60 minutes, or until it's completely cooked. Flip the squash over and let cool for 10 minutes before scooping the flesh out into a blender or bowl to mash.
Puree or mash the squash well. Be careful not to add any liquid to this step, even if you're tempted to. Let cool completely.
Pour or pipe the cooled squash puree into ice cube trays or muffin tins and freeze at least one hour, or until fully frozen.
Transfer the frozen puree to a zip-top bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months, making sure to label and date the bag.
How to Use Frozen Squash
To use your frozen puree, heat it directly from frozen in a saucepan on stove. It will defrost in only a few minutes. The heated puree is wonderful for lasagna, sauce, dip, muffins (an excellent alternative to pumpkin puree), or soup.
Slice the squash into manageable chunks, like 1-inch cubes or slices. Spread the cubes or slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze at least one hour, or until fully frozen. Transfer the frozen squash to a zip-top bag, remove as much air as possible, and store in the freezer for up to a year.
Summer squash, like most vegetables, must be blanched before they can be frozen. Blanching stops enzyme actions that can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Blanching works best if you heat 1 gallon of water to boiling in a large pot fitted with a wire basket or colander.
Wash the squash and cut it into ½-inch slices. Water blanch for 3 minutes. Cool in ice water, drain, and package it in rigid freezer containers. Leave ½ inch of headspace before sealing and freezing.
Whole squash can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 month. Store cooked squash for 3-5 days in the refrigerator or mash and freeze for up to 1 year. To freeze: Peel squash, remove seeds and cut into pieces. You can roast before freezing or freeze raw to cook later.
You can freeze dry vegetables whether they are raw or cooked. If you plan to rehydrate your vegetables, we've found that blanching them beforehand will help bring them back to that perfect texture.
Line a dry baking sheet with parchment paper and place the squash cubes or slices on it in a single layer.Freeze for one hour, or until solid. Once the squash has frozen solid, you can slide if off the parchment paper and transfer it to zip-top freezer bags to store for the long haul.
Squash store best at an even 50°F in a dark place. This could be a cool and dark shelf, cabinet, or drawer in the kitchen, pantry, or closet. They also store well in a warmer section of the root cellar such as on the top shelf.
Drawing inspiration from our irresistible oven-roasted frozen broccoli, I knew I could achieve the same results with frozen squash. Because frozen squash is already peeled and cut for you, all you have to do is season it and throw it into the oven, eliminating at least 20 minutes of work.
Prepare and cut the summer squash as desired, then blanch in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Once blanched, pluge the squash into an ice bath. Drain and freeze. Slices or Pieces: Summer squash slices, cubes, or pieces come in handy for sautés, soups, stir-fry, and casseroles.
You'll see best storage results when you stash squash in a cool, dry spot. For most winter squash, store at 50º to 55º F with relative humidity of 60 to 70 percent.
The ideal temperature for butternut squash (and any winter squash) is between 50℉ and 60℉, so a cool pantry or cellar would work best. Do not store whole squash in the refrigerator as the cold temperatures don't increase the shelf life and could affect the texture.
Seal the vegetables in bags using a vacuum sealing system or by removing as much air as possible from a freezer bag before sealing. Label the containers or bags with the name of the vegetable, the cut, and date. Once sealed and frozen, it can be stored for up to 3 months or up to a year or more if vacuum sealed.
How to Store Whole Butternut Squash. Store whole butternut squash in a cool, dry and well-ventilated area. The ideal temperature for butternut squash (and any winter squash) is between 50℉ and 60℉, so a cool pantry or cellar would work best.
Properly stored butter can be frozen for up to four months if frozen prior to the USE BY date on the package. Butter may begin to lose its fresh butter taste and pick up flavors and odors from the freezer if stored for longer than four months. Once the butter is removed from the freezer, use it within 30 days.
Yield: One large squash will yield about three cups of puree. Storage: Store butternut squash puree in an airtight container or glass jar in the fridge for 7 to 10 days. You can also transfer the puree to freezer bags or containers and keep it in the the freezer for up to six months.
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