A few weeks ago, I saw kabocha squash on sale at the grocery store. I bought a boatload — four large squash — then cooked and froze them. Since then, we’ve been slowly eating them, as they make a perfect vegetable for dinner when I’m feeling lazy or the larder is bare.

I forgot to take any pictures of the intact kabocha, but here’s a good example from Flickr:

Here’s how I made them, thanks to instructions from my mother-in-law:

Slice open the kabocha, and remove its seeds. Cut off any “warts” from the outside skin. (You’ll be eating the skin, not just the flesh.) Cut into pieces: I prefer about 1 inch by 2 inches.

Spread the pieces, skin side down, on a baking sheet or pan. (You’ll want it to have some kind of edge.) Brush with oil, e.g. coconut oil, and sprinkle with salt. You can also sprinkle the squash with a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices.

Add a bit of water to the baking sheet, then cover with foil. Bake in 350 F or 375 F oven for about 40 minutes, or until tender.

If you plan to freeze it, allow the squash to cool to room temperature on the baking sheet, then move it to containers (even ziplock bags work fine) to freeze. (You can also cool it in the fridge or freezer, but I’m not fussy about leaving food out to cool. The risks are wildly overblown, in my experience.)

Don’t forget that you eat the skin and the flesh!