Fall is in the air and I am having a blast experimenting with all the different types of seasonal squash I’ve been getting in my produce boxes. I will admit this was my first time cooking an acorn squash. When I was looking at recipes it seemed like most people douse them with sugar and butter and bake them. I was looking for a healthier approach since I’m trying to watch my carbs, I know, I’m boring. I found several stuffed squash recipes so I took bits and pieces from many of them and came up with this. It made for a delicious fall dinner and it’s fun because the squash itself is an edible bowl. The filling is packed with all sorts of veggies and I used extra lean ground turkey making it low cal. Don’t worry I added cheese to help balance that out. For a healthy dinner option this certainly wasn’t short on flavor. Give it a try!
INGREDIENTS
2 acorn squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 c chopped mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 lb ground turkey
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 bunch chard, chopped
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c panko
1/4 c parmesean
STEPS
- Preheat oven to 400º.
- Carefully cut acorn squash in half and using a spoon clean out the seeds and stringy pulp.
- Season the squash halves with salt and pepper.
- Place halves on a baking sheet cut side up and cook for 1 hour.
- When the squash have 30 minutes of cook time remaining start your stuffing. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the pan and cook until softened.
- Add the ground turkey and cook for about 10 minutes making sure to break it up into crumbles.
- Stir in all of your seasonings and add in the chard.
- Cook stuffing mixture for another 10 minutes.
- Add in broth and panko and cook at a simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove skillet from heat and allow to sit until squash is done cooking. (Be sure to taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.)
- When the squash is done it should be easily pierced with a fork.
- Remove squash from the oven and spoon your stuffing mixture into each half.
- Top each with parmesan cheese and place under the broiler for 5 minutes until cheese is a nice golden brown.
divadicucina.com 