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STUFFED ROASTED SQUASH

A rich, earthy meal using any cute squash
Course Side Dish
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 smallish winter squash
  • 4-5 cups filling

GENERAL FILLING GUIDELINES TO EQUAL 4-6 CUPS

  • 1 cup protein (sausage, chicken, leftovers, lentils, chestnuts, baked tofu etc)
  • 2-3 cups veggies (onions, mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, greens, etc)
  • 2 cups cooked grains (barley, quinoa, rice, farro, etc)
  • 2/3-1 cup shredded cheese
  • 3-4 tsp herbs or spices

FOR MY RECIPE TODAY I USED THE ABOVE GUIDELINES FOR PORTIONS

  • 2 acorn squash
  • leftover roasted turkey , diced
  • 1 med onion , diced
  • 3 garlic , minced
  • 1 cup fresh kale , chopped
  • 1/3 cup fresh red cabbage , chopped
  • 1 apple , peeled and diced 1/4"
  • brown and wild rice
  • Sharp cheddar cheese , grated
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne

Instructions

PREPARE THE SQUASH FOR ROASTING

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F with the rack in the lower-middle position. Slice the squash in half from stem to root, scoop out seeds Place cut side down into a baking pan. Pour enough water to fill by about 1/4" (1/2 cm) and cover with foil. Bake until just soft and tender to the fork (about 30 minutes) Exact roasting time will depend on the size and and variety of the squash.

PREPARE THE FILLING

  1. While the squash is roasting, prepare the filling.
  2. Saute the onions and garlic at med-high in a saute pan. Add spices, stir to coat, cook 1 minute. Add any uncooked meat and cook off till nicely browned. Continue to add any uncooked vegetables and saute till just tender. I added my apple before I added the turkey, so that it could get a nice caramelizing. Once all the uncooked ingredients are cooked, add any ingredients that just need to be warmed up.
  3. In the meantime prepare any grain, the way you would usually do. I had the rice cooker preparing the rice early on as it was brown and wild rice, which takes a bit longer to cook.
  4. Once all the ingredients are ready, put all of them in a bowl, toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Adjust heat, with more cayenne or pepper flakes etc.
  5. Finally add 1/2 of the amount of cheese you are using (this is optional, but the gooey-ness is a weakness for me!)
  6. Take the squash halves and flip over to create a bowl. Rub the inside with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Divide the filling between the 'bowls'. Mound it in well, be generous! Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
  7. Bake until crispy and bubbling. This may only take another 15-20 minutes.

Recipe Notes

This is one of those meals that can be created with whatever is in the fridge. Call it a 'Clean the Fridge Out' meal. You can use leftovers, meat, roasted veggies, leftover rice etc, or you can start fresh. You will really taste and season as you go. I wanted a warm, almost Indian feel to the filling, so I used the curry and cumin. I could have also added 1/4 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp cinnamon etc.

This is easily adjusted up or down for the amount of people you are feeding. And whether it will be a main or a side. If it is going to be a side, really only use the smallest squashes available, because with the filling, it can be deceptively rich even though it doesn't look like a lot of food.

These can be prepared in advance, and warmed before serving.

Any leftover filling would work well warmed up the next day with a fried egg on top!

Adapted from The Kitchn