Stuffed Acorn Squash (with Ground Meat or Plant-Based Meat)
Equipment
- 12-inch Non-Stick Skillet, (or cast iron skillet)
Ingredients
For the Acorn Squash
- 2 small to medium acorn squashes
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil, or more if needed
- ground cinnamon
- sea salt or Kosher salt ,
- ground black pepper
To Make the Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika, (I use sweet paprika)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound pound ground chicken, ground turkey, ground lamb, lean ground beef or ground plant-based meat, (see Chef's tips below)
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped
- 1/4 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, plus more to use as garnish (optional)
To Make the Whipped Goat Cheese (optional)
- 8 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, (see Chef's tips)
- 1 tablespoon milk or plant-based milk, (whole milk, 2% milk, oat or almond milk)
Instructions
Make the Whipped Goat Cheese
- In a food processor, or in a bowl if using an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment place the goat cheese, cream cheese, honey and milk. Process or mix until the mixture is fluffy and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning and transfer to an airtight container. The mixture can be refrigerated for 3 days. Remove from the fridge about 1-2 hours before serving.
Cut, Prep and Roast the Squash
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean up.
- With a sharp Chef's knife, cut each acorn squash in half. Using one of the squash’s indentations as a guide, slice the squash lengthwise from its tip to the stem. Keep the skin on.
- With a big spoon, scoop out the seeds and any stringy bits. Optional: You can turn each squash on its side and slice a little bit off the bottom (the uncut area) to prevent it from wobbling on the plate.
- Place the squash - hollowed out side up, on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle each one with olive oil and season them with a dash of cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork or a small sharp knife.
Make the Filling
- While the squash roasts in the oven, prepare the filling. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, cinnamon, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring often until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Next, Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring; until aromatic, about a minute.
- Stir in the ground meat and cook, crumbling the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes for ground chicken. The cooking times for other proteins, plant-based proteins and grains can be found below on the Chef's tips section.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, and stir in the broth and the tomato paste. Cook for about 1-2 minutes then, season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and remove the acorn squash from the oven. Using a spoon, scrape about two tablespoons of flesh from the cavity of each squash (you should have about ½ cup altogether). Break up the scooped roasted squash into smaller pieces (try not to mash it into a purée. Uneven-sized pieces are fine)
- Stir the scooped roasted squash pieces into the meat mixture, Mix until well combined. Next, stir in the pistachios, raisins, cranberries, mint and parsley. Toss to combine. Season to taste.
Stuffing the Roasted Acorn Squash
- Divide the meat/squash stuffing among the squash halves, depending on the size of the acorn squash cavities, you may need to slightly heap the filling. Return to the oven and bake for about 5-8 minutes or until both the squash and filling are warm through. (if additional baking time is needed, slightly cover the stuffed squash with aluminum foil.
- Remove from the oven and serve. Optional: Top each squash half with whipped whipped goat cheese and finely chopped fresh parsley. Alternatively you can use plain Greek yogurt, plain plant based yogurt or sour cream as topping.
Notes
- Animal Protein: This is a very versatile recipe that can be made with ground chicken, ground turkey, ground lamb or lean ground beef.
- Plant Based Protein: For a vegetarian or vegan alternative, use plant-based meat such as chicken grind or beyond meat (beyond beef), impossible meat (impossible ground beef) or any other meatless ground. Read the labels. Some of this products are not vegan.
- Other Protein Options: Make the filling with cooked rice or cooked quinoa.
- You will need about 1 1/2 cups of raw quinoa cooked in vegetable broth.
- You will need 2 1/2 cups of uncooked long-grain rice.
- After cooking the onions with the spices and the garlic, add the cooked quinoa or cooked rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes (or until warm through), follow the recipe as written.
- How Long to cook Ground Meat? Exact timing will depend on the type of meat you choose. Here are some guidelines:
- Ground chicken: About 5-6 minutes
- Ground lean beef: About 6-9 minutes
- Ground lamb: About 6-7 minutes
- Ground pork: About 5 -6 minutes
- Plant based ground beef: Depending on the brand, about 5-8 minutes. Please read the package instructions.
- Topping: Instead of whipped goat cheese, use regular or plant-based yogurt or sour cream as a topping. Cashew cream is also a good substitute.
- Feta cheese crumbles are also a great topping.
- Making Ahead:
- The whipped goat cheese can be made 3 days in advanced. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. Remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours before serving. You can use a fork to fluff the mixture if needed.
- You can roast the acorn squash a day ahead. Store it covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Remove it from the fridge 2 hours before stuffing it.
- To reheat: After allowing the roasted squash to sit at room temperature, reheat it in a pre-heated 300ºF oven (tent the squash with aluminum foil if need it).
- Make the stuffing a day ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat, in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add additional broth if the mixture seems a bit dry.
- Storing and Reheating:
- Leftover stuffed acorn squash can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- To Reheat, place stuffed squash in a baking dish or a covered casserole dish. Pour a bit of broth at the bottom of the dish. Cover it tightly with foil and reheat in a pre-heated 350ºF oven until warm-through.
- To freeze, cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a freezer save container for 2 months.
- Dietary: This recipe is Gluten-Free, dairy-free adaptable, vegetarian adaptable, vegan adaptable.
Nutrition
Calories: 409 kcal, Carbohydrates: 22 g, Protein: 23 g, Fat: 27 g, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16 g, Trans Fat: 0.1 g, Cholesterol: 98 mg, Sodium: 166 mg, Potassium: 902 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 13 g, Vitamin A: 846 IU, Vitamin C: 10 mg, Calcium: 63 mg, Iron: 3 mg
