Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe

What do you have when Bigfoot steps on an acorn? An acorn squash! What do you have when he bakes it to perfection and stuffs it with a savory mixture of sausage, fresh spinach, and quinoa, with a sprinkle of cheese on top? Definite deliciousness!

You also have a complete and satisfying meal. The bright yellow-orange flesh is beautiful and indicates the treasure of nutrients inside this acorn shaped vessel. Acorn squash and all winter squashes provide an impressive array of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A and potassium. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advocates 5 cups of starchy vegetables such as acorn squash each week, for someone consuming about 2,000 calories a day.

These squash come in a range of hues: green, yellow, tan and orange. Choose one that feels heavy in your hand. As opposed to their thin-skinned summer squash cousins, thicker skinned winter squash store well in a cool, dry, dark place for 3 months or so.

When sliced in half, you have a natural, tasty and disposable bowl (fewer dishes to wash!) with beautifully rounded ridged edges, perfectly suited to add a touch of color to your fall themed menu. Check out the Zak! collection of casual dinnerware for trendy and fun ways to serve your squash bowls.

Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe Instructions

stuffed acorn squash recipe

Ingredients
Directions

• 2 acorn squash
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small diced onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 pound ground sausage of choice
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• Salt, pepper or seasoning of choice
• Parmesan cheese or shredded cheese of choice
• Baking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Slice the squash in half and remove the seeds and strings from the cavity. (I recommend saving the seeds. They are excellent for roasting.)
3. Spray the hollowed out squash halves with baking spray and place face down on a foil covered baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. They are done when the flesh feels soft, but not mushy.
4. While the squash bakes, assemble the filling. Begin by sautéing the onion and garlic until slightly translucent and aromatic.
5. Add the sausage and cook it well. Mix in the spinach and continue cooking just until it wilts.
6. Stir this mixture into the cooked quinoa and season to taste.
7. Spoon the filling into the squash bowls and top lightly with cheese before serving.

Roasted Seeds

1. Roast these seeds virtually the same way you would roast pumpkin seeds.”
2. Rinse the seeds to remove as much of the stringy flesh as possible. If a little remains, no worries, the roasted seeds will just be a bit tastier.”
3. Boil the seeds in water for 10 minutes and pat dry on a paper towel.
4. Toss the seeds in a bowl with olive oil or butter and add salt, seasoning salt, garlic salt or any seasoning of your choice. I used butter and seasoning salt on half of my seeds.
5. On the remaining seeds I used butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. After baking, they taste much like crunchy granola. I can imagine tossing them with raisins, craisins, nuts, or miniature chocolate chips.
6. Roast the seeds in a preheated 300 degree oven for 45 minutes until golden brown. You may need to drain them on a paper towel if there is excess oil remaining.
7. They make a delicious, nutty flavored snack, or topping for salads or roasted veggies. Zak! features many choices of casual, colorful bowls and trays to serve these tasty seeds.
8. They make a delicious, nutty flavored snack, or topping for salads or roasted veggies. Zak! features many choices of casual, colorful bowls and trays to serve these tasty seeds.