Stuffed Acorn Squash

About

These stuffed acorn squashes are festive and yummy! Serve as a main dish with salad, soup and whole grain rolls. For a grand festive meal, it would make a lovely appetizer or side dish.

This recipe is designed to fill four to six squashes (depending on the size). Use four if they are more like the larger one in my photos; use six if they are closer to the smaller one. If in doubt, err on the side of having too much filling. You can always eat the leftovers as a snack.

I made this recipe with ground turkey. Choose organic meat if available and affordable in your area. Vegetarians can omit this ingredient and use more rice & vegetables, or they can add a substitute such as Yves Veggie Cuisine Meatless Ground Chicken. If using a substitute, skip the part of the recipe for browning turkey, and use the vegetarian product according to package directions.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Cook your rice according to package directions. If using brown rice consider trying the method in 5 Easy Steps to Perfect Brown Rice.
2. Wash acorn squashes. If needed, slice a little off the bottoms so they sit upright. Slice off tops, just enough to make a lid. If squashes look solid inside, cut a small hollow to reveal inner seeds. Hollow a little more to make things even, if necessary. Reserve these pieces. Remove seeds and fibrous strands. I found a grapefruit spoon helpful in getting out all the gooey stuff. Rinse insides. If you found that slicing the bottom made one or more of your squash bottoms too thin, cut some pieces of reserved squash and place inside the cavity; any leftover pieces can be cubed and added to the stuffing.
3. Score insides of squashes gently with a knife to help maple syrup rub penetrate the flesh. Mix maple syrup with one clove pressed garlic. Using fingers, rub mixture a little at a time inside the hollowed squashes. Set aside.
4. In large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onions, remaining garlic clove, celery, leftover squash pieces, herbs, salt and pepper. Sauté for ten minutes or until celery and squash is soft. Set aside. At this point you can start pre-heating your oven to 350 F.
5. In a separate skillet brown ground turkey. When it’s almost done, quickly dice apple into small cubes. When turkey is fully cooked, drain fat and liquid. Add turkey to vegetables (or vegetables to turkey depending on which skillet is larger). Note: If you’re not comfortable with multi-tasking, you can cut the apple ahead of time. Dip cubes in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
6. Add apples and cranberries to the skillet. Cook on medium to low until apples are softened to your desired texture. Taste stuffing. Add more seasonings if needed.
7. Fill squash cavities with stuffing, packing lightly. Place lids loosely on top. Put in shallow baking dish and pour water around squashes, about 1/2 to one inch high (use your best judgment based on the size of your squashes).
8. Bake for 1.5 hours or until squashes are soft and easily pierced with a fork.
9. Serve whole or halved on individual plates.
10. Have some extra maple syrup on the table in case people need a little more.

Helpful Hints

1. Make sure your skillet is big enough for the recipe. Mine was a little too small and I had spills here and there as I stirred the ingredients.
2. If your squashes are really small you can serve them whole, so they’re like semi-edible bowls. Larger ones can be served either whole of halved depending on the appetites of your guests!

Here the stuffing is almost ready.

The natural shape of acorn squash looks so decorative when cut this way. These squashes are stuffed and ready to place in a pan for baking. I took the picture on a plate because they look prettier that way, but baked them in a shallow glass baking pan with 1/2 inch water. Place squash lids loosely on top during baking.

Squashes are baked and ready to serve.

This recipe was made with Lundberg Jubilee Gourmet Brown Rice. #ad