Thursday, October 13, 2011

Stuffed Winter Squash


Aaack! Only six weeks until Thanksgiving! Normally, this is not a big deal for me, but this year I am faced with not one, but two, vegetarians. Plus, I'm not a big fan of turkey. It's time to start thinking of alternative foods...

While I may not be a fan of turkey, I do like the usual components of a Thanksgiving meal. Potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes (yes, we do both) and, of course, pie. The stuffing that I usually make will be a little problematic, since it is full of ground beef. I know my daughter likes a stuffing, and so does the hubby--I'm thinking maybe a stuffed squash might just kill two birds (lol) with one stone!

Several years ago, I found a recipe for a Stuffed Winter Squash in Midwest Living Magazine. I think it's time to revisit. This is an easy recipe to modify. We like the filling just by itself, so feel free to leave out the squash.

Stuffed Winter Squash 


4 acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
¼ cup olive oil
3 cups cooked rice
2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn
½ cup sliced black olives
½ cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Bake squash, cut side down for 45 minutes.

Sauté the onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms, red pepper, and jalapeño until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice, corn, olives, parsley, sage and salt. Turn over squash, heap with stuffing and bake for an additional 30 minutes.




It couldn't be easier to bake. Just be careful when cutting them in half...I almost took off a finger.



I found these at Walmart...sweet, colorful peppers. They looked a little long in the tooth, but they worked out nicely. 



Trader Joe's has packages of microwavable brown rice in the freezer section. One package was more than enough to fill two halves of squash.


Just pile it in the squash...


Hmmm...probably no reason to wait until Thanksgiving....







5 comments:

  1. Yum! I love acorn squash - I usually prepare it simply by roasting it in the oven with a bit of maple syrup but this is another great recipe. Thanks!

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  2. Oh, this looks fabulous, Cathy! So full of lovely deliciousness...a great Thanksgiving choice :)

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  3. Thank you all for the nice comments--we really like this recipe. I actually love my squash with loads of butter and brown sugar--and that maple syrup sounds great!

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