By Judith Dern

Acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata, hubbard, spaghetti, turban—a bounty of colorful winter squash and pumpkins overflow grocery produce tables every fall. A fruit (really!) native to North America, and a member of the gourd family like melons and pumpkins, squash is super-easy to stir into hearty autumn soups.

Squash is super-easy to stir into hearty autumn soups

Add squash to your diet for good health

“Winter squashes, especially pumpkin, are one of the most nutritionally valuable foods known to man,” says Steven Pratt, MD, coauthor of SuperFoods. Loaded with good-for-you nutrients, the richly colored interior flesh is the first clue to squashes’ nutritional benefits, which include:

Large amounts of carotenoids, the deep orange-, yellow-, or red-colored plant compounds that help fight a variety of diseases, including heart disease, various cancers, and eye diseases

Vitamins C and E, plus potassium, magnesium, and folic acid

High in fiber

Low in calories

Judith H. Dern, an independent writer living in Seattle, WA, loves vegetables and finds squash soup the perfect cold-weather dish