I went to a local farm and garden center this past weekend. We got a haul of buttercup squash, acorn squash, and a cute little thing that my son asked me to get ….a Pokemon squash.

Of course he would be interested in a squash with the same name as a cartoon character. Hey, whatever makes kids choose and eat healthy food is fine with me ?

It was the first time I’d ever tried this type of squash, so I googled “Pokemon Squash”, and got results similar to the following picture…..

So I did what any member of the social network age would do….I posted a picture of the squash on my Facebook wall and my friend identified it as a Carnival or Sweet Dumpling squash.    I found a recipe that looks really good at at Angie’s Recipes
and a similar one at So Hungry I Could Blog

I modified it slightly to suit my family’s taste. My kids love anything with Italian seasoning on it, so that is what I used instead of the rosemary. Also, I read in the description that it was a sweet squash, so I didn’t bother with the sugar. Plus, since it was the first time I was using this particular squash, I wanted to taste the flavor before experimenting with adding other, strong, flavors, so I omitted the garlic. After tasting it as I made it, I can see where the garlic would add something good so I might try it that way next time.

For the record, my son – and his baby sister – loved it. So did my husband. In fact, I forgot to snap a pic until my husband was about to take the last piece. I told him to wait a second, and I snapped the following pic quickly.

Savory Baked Winter Squash

1 Pokemon/Carnival/Sweet Dumpling Squash
4 strips turkey bacon,chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

400 Degrees

Cut Squash into halves. Scoop out seeds and squash guts, then cut each half into 2-3 wedges. Place cut side up on baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and pepper and bake for 15 minutes.

Put bacon, olive oil, and seasoning, in a bowl. Stir a few times, then spoon mixture into the squash. Bake 30 minutes more.