Savory Stuffed Squash
It's turkey season, and the stuffed birds with all of the trimmings are upon us! I LOVE Thanksgiving, I think it's one of my favorite holidays really. To be able to sit at the table with loved ones and stuff your faces with lots of good food that you wait all year for; how can you not be thankful and love this holiday? I'm looking forward to it as always. With this season also come the wonderful bounty of fall harvest foods; squashes of all kinds, apples, oranges from the south, persimmons (one of my absolute favorite fruits), beautiful jeweled pomegranates, figs, sweet potatoes, I could go on but I will spare you. I know most of these are available year-round with the way we are able to import and ship foods now, but I really try to shop within season for my area and I love having the savory change of season and I look forward to all the time.As I became more comfortable in the kitchen and I started to experiment more, I've come to love squash and the vast varieties as one of my staples for the fall & winter months. I love making squash soups, apple crisps, sweet potato bakes and adding the pomegranates to champagne toasts or making a sweet sauce for dessert. It's a nice change of pace really, with that in mind; Have you ever stuffed a squash for dinner? I remember stuffed squash when I was a kid. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but then again, I was a kid and my dad was not the best of cooks. My grandma had given me some of her recipes many, many years ago but the older I get, the less meat I realize I need or want and her recipes are made with pork and ground beef and such. Not to say that I'm a vegetarian (I do still partake and love the carnivorous meal once in awhile) but I really don't eat it much or crave it much anymore. So I started to think about what I could stuff my pretty white acorn squash with this evening, and it hit me. I had some left over sprouted rice & quinoa blend by tru Roots in my fridge and I could make a type of rice stuffing for it. My mind was set and I was ready to proceed. Now please note that I had de-seeded and pre-cooked my squash (350 degrees) yesterday night in the oven for at least an hour and had it in the fridge ready for tonight.
I had on-hand:
- Spinach, about three handfuls
- Cooked Spouted Rice & Quinoa, about 3/4 cup
- Onion (Chopped),
- Cherry Tomatoes, a handful or two
- Brussel Sprouts (sliced), at least 6
- Better than Bouillon (Chicken base, but regular broth or bouillon will do instead), 1 teaspoonful
- Parmesan Cheese Shred
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Garlic Powder, 1-1.5 teaspoons
- Thyme (dried), generous sprinkle
I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, took out my fry pan to saute the onions and brussel sprouts with the salt and pepper and garlic powder. Once they become more tender/translucent (for the onions), I added the spinach and the cherry tomatoes. When the spinach starts to wilt and the tomatoes have warmed up, I crush them with the back of my spoon and add the thyme and Better than Bouillon with some warm water, at least 1/2 a cup to dilute the base. Then I add the rice and quinoa and simmer for a few minutes. Have your acorn squash ready in a baking dish, once the flavors have mingled a touch, spoon the filling into the two acorn halves and top with parmesan cheese and put it into the oven for at least 35 minutes. The cheese becomes a wonderful crunchy topping that adds a great nutty flavor. One half is enough to share with my son and have a completely satisfying meal. This would be a very good side dish as well.
Enjoy!
