Diabetes recipes: Roasted winter squash

Diabetes Recipes: Roasted winter squash

Looking for delicious, diabetes and vegetarian-friendly food? Try roasted winter squash.

When you’re following a diet for diabetes, it can be difficult to find foods that taste good and satisfy your appetite. That’s why squash is such a great choice. From starters to side dishes, roasted winter squash can be a delicious and versatile addition to your diabetes diet.

Though winter squash varieties like acorn squash and butternut squash are technically classified as fruit, they’re better known as starchy vegetables that can serve as healthy replacements for russet potatoes. Squash varieties also have less sugar than sweet potatoes, which is helpful to know if you’re watching your blood sugar levels.¹

Try this roasted squash recipe that mixes both acorn and butternut varieties for a simple, tasty dish that's perfect when following a diabetes diet.

Why squash is good for diabetes

Along with being wholesome and delicious, winter squash varieties are packed with fiber, which helps slow the absorption of other digestible carbs.^2,3 For people with diabetes, this can reduce a post-meal sugar spike. Eating a high-fiber diet as part of a diabetes diet plan tends to improve blood sugar levels.

Squash is also rich in healing antioxidants, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C,¹ both of which may have a beneficial effect on blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes.^4,5

For vegetarian or vegan diets, incorporating healthy winter squash recipes into your meal planning can help ensure you’re getting essential nutrients.

3-Ingredient Roasted Winter Squash Recipe

With just three ingredients and a bit of salt and pepper, this winter squash recipe is simple to make. And if you end up with leftovers, you can turn them into a soup by blending the remaining squash with hot chicken or vegetable stock, transforming it from a side dish into a main course.

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash, peeled and seeded
• 1 small (1 kg/ 2 lbs) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Nutritional values per serving³

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 218°C / 425°F.
2. Cut the acorn and butternut squash into 1 to 1¼ - inch/ 3 cm cubes. Tip: The squash will shrink while baking, so don't cut the cubes too small.
3. Place the squash in single layers on two baking sheets.
4. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well.
5. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until tender, turning the dish once.

Sources:

1. FoodData Central: Sweet potato [Internet]. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2019 Apr 1 [cited 2025 Jul 9]. Available from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168482/nutrients
2. Lattimer JM, Haub MD. Effects of dietary fiber and its components on metabolic health. Nutrients. 2010;2(12):1266-1289.
3. FoodData Central: Winter squash, butternut [Internet]. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2019 Apr 1 [cited 2025 Jul 9]. Available from:  https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169296/nutrients
4. Mason SA, Rasmussen B, Van Loon LJC, Salmon J, Wadley GD. Ascorbic acid supplementation improves postprandial glycaemic control and blood pressure in individuals with type 2 diabetes: Findings of a randomized cross‐over trial. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2019;21(3):674-682.
5. Said E, Mousa S, Fawzi M, Sabry NA, Farid S. Combined effect of high-dose vitamin A, vitamin E supplementation, and zinc on adult patients with diabetes: A randomized trial. J Adv Res. 2021;28:27-33.