stuffed acorn squash

Good morning!

How was your weekend?  I’m hoping spectacular.  I had an extra day off which made for a nice long weekend.  The extra day was perfect for doing nothing but relaxing.  If you’re catching up, here’s what you missed this weekend…

cranberry stuffed oatmeal breakfast bake

10 ways running has changed with pregnancy

Today we’re talking dinner.  A dinner I LOVED, and Jacob wouldn’t touch.  There are a few things Jacob absolutely doesn’t like, but still I’m always trying to get him to eat them.  Squash is one of them.  I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t like them.  I mean, they’re sweet and delicious!  I try to sneak a puree in, or tiny chunks in a soup, but he always knows.  What’s great is he still tries it even though he knows he doesn’t like it.

Since he’s a gourd hater, I am now less of a gourd eater.  That’s just not fair is it?  Nope.

My solution?

Make 1 meal 2 ways, like today’s stuffed squash.  I made the same filling for both of us, but instead of stuffing a squash for him, I stuffed bell peppers.  It worked perfectly!  We both loved our meal and it didn’t take any extra effort.  I guess we can go on happily eating meals together. 🙂

You may think this meal is complicated, but in reality it’s super easy.  While you roast the squash, you can take your time preparing the filling.  The recipe calls for brown rice, which I had made in advance so my filling prep was super fast.  Brown rice takes about 45-50 minutes to cook, so if you don’t have prepared brown rice just start that first.  It takes a little longer than the squash to cook, but if you start it first, you should be good to go finishing the filling when the squash is ready to stuff.

I added a touch of sweetness in with the dried cranberries.  It went perfectly with the sweet squash and savory meat.  Pair with some greens, kale chips were our choice, and you’ve got a well rounded meal.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 tsp each fennel seed, dried sage, dried oregano and garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper and sea salt
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 acorn squash (or sub 3 bell peppers for every squash)
• olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the acorn squash in half, length ways.  Scoop out the seeds and stringy pieces.  Place on a baking sheet coated lightly with olive oil.  Drizzle on a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
2. In a large skillet on medium heat combine the beef with spices, sea salt and pepper.  Cook until meat is just brown.  Transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel.
3. Using the same skillet add the diced onion and cook until soft and lightly browned.  Add the diced tomato, cooked rice, maple syrup and cranberries to the skillet, along with the beef.  Heat until the entire mixture is warm.
4. Once the squash is done baking, remove from the oven.  Turn the temperature up to 375 degrees.  Spoon the mixture into the squash (or peppers), creating a big mound.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  If using peppers ensure they are tender before taking out.

And I’ve been having a ketchup obsession lately, so you better believe I topped mine with ketchup!  Genius idea if ya ask me.

Have you even stuffed a squash or bell peppers?  What’s your favorite filling?  How was your weekend?

Heather

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