stuffed squash recipe

This mild mashed potato-stuffed squash makes a great alternative main dish for Thanksgiving, but it&#39;s any time during fall harvest season or as a winter comfort food.

Winter Squash Stuffed with Mashed Potatoes and Peas

butternut

potatoes (any variety, peeled and diced)

olive oil

onion

carrot

unsweetened nondairy milk

green peas (thawed)

nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Nutritional yeast to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and fibers. Cover with aluminum foil and place the halves, cut side up, in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife but still firm. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the pulp, leaving a firm 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick shell all around. Mash the pulp and set side until needed.

Meanwhile, combine the potatoes with enough water to cover in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then simmer steadily, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and carrot and sauté over medium heat until the onion is golden and the carrot is tender-crisp. Remove from the heat.

When the potatoes are done, drain them and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the milk  and mash until smooth. Stir in the onion-carrot mixture, followed by the peas, nutritional yeast, and nutmeg. Add the reserved squash pulp, and stir gently until the mashed potato and squash are well integrated.

Divide the mixture evenly among the four squash shells. Bake for 15 minutes, until well heated through. Serve each half as one substantial portion, or cut each half crosswise to make 8 smaller portions.

Brown rice and pecans are a tasty team in this thyme-scented stuffed squash recipe.

Rice and Pecan-Stuffed Squash

acorn

onion (finely chopped)

celery

bread

brown rice

pecans

orange juice (preferably fresh)

thyme leaves (plus more for topping)

thyme

Preheat the oven to 375º F.

Wrap the squashes whole in foil. Place in a casserole dish, and bake until you can pierce through with a small knife or skewer, 30 to 45 minutes (this will vary greatly according to the size and variety of the squashes). Check every 5 minutes once you pass the 30 minute mark; the squashes should be done but still firm.

While the squashes are baking, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the celery and continue to sauté until the onion is golden brown.

Add the torn bread, cooked rice, and half of the pecans to the skillet and sir together.

Stir in the orange juice, seasoning blend, and thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

When the squash is done and cool enough to handle, cut each in half lengthwise. Discard the seeds and fibrous part of the pulp. Scoop out enough remaining pulp to leave a sturdy 1/4- to 1/2-inch shell all around. Chop the pulp (there really won't be that much), add it to the rice mixture, and stir together.

Stuff the skillet mixture into the squashes. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining pecans, with additional thyme leaves. Finally, garnish each squash half with a sprig of thyme.

Just before serving, return to the oven for 15 minutes or so, or until nice and hot.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Italian sausage (or use vegan sausage), kale, apple, parsnips, pecans and sage. Vegan-adaptable and can be made ahead. Perfect for the holiday table or special gatherings.

Stuffed Acorn Squash 

maple syrup

salt and pepper

———–

Italian sausage-

onion,

apple (like a gala), diced

sage

white wine (or sub-water)

kale

pecans pecans

fresh grated nutmeg (or ¼ teaspoon ground)

Cut Acorn Squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon ( or scoop after baking!).  Brush insides with a mix of 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and lay skin-side up on a greased, or parchment lined baking sheet, and roast in a hot oven for 30-40 minutes, until you can pierce through skin and flesh with a fork. Remove from the oven and using a metal spatula, turn over, trying to keep caramelized edges intact, and let cool. Place in a baking dish.

While squash is roasting in the oven, brown Italian sausage (or soy sausage), set aside and wipe out pan.

In the same pan, saute parsnips and onions in  olive oil, on medium heat, until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add apples, kale and sage, and saute 5 more minutes, until apples are tender. You may need to add a little more olive oil. Generously Salt and Pepper to taste.

Splash with a little white wine and add pecans. When wine has evaporated, add 1 T maple syrup. Add sausage back in and taste for salt, adding if necessary. Add a little fresh grated nutmeg or a pinch or two of ground. Fill the squash with the apple parsnip sausage mixture and place in a 350 F until heated through (about 15-20 minutes)

In a small bowl, coat pecans with real maple syrup (only real maple will work here) Add a pinch of salt and some cracked pepper. Spread out on a greased baking sheet and using a timer, bake 8 minutes to start, in a 400 F oven, give them a mix, then bake another 7 &#8211; 13 minutes. These need to toast up nicely for the right &#8220;crunch,&#8221; but time will vary depending on your oven &#8211; so keep a close eye on these to make sure they don&#8217;t burn.

Remove, let cool 3-4 minutes, then use a metal spatula to unstick them from the sheet pan. If they are completely stuck, place them back in the oven for a minute or two, to loosen, and try again. Then let cool completely, store in a zip lock bag. I make these in big batches and use in salads or cheese platters.

To Make Maple Pecans

I made this as a vegan dish and used Field Roast sage and apple sausage. The stuffing is absolutely delicious, but seemed to be a little on the dry side when I added it to the squash. Perhaps I was a bit off and didn’t add enough oil or maple syrup? I think I’ll try it again with a touch of vegan butter and an extra teaspoon of maple syrup. I also wonder how this would be with a spoonful of freshly made cranberry sauce.

The stuffing was so addictivly delicious that I was lucky there was enough left to stuff the acorn squash from my repeated sampling of it. Very nice presentation also.  Burned my first batch of pecans but remade them and baked them a shorter time taking them out a bit sticky. They firmed nicely cooling on a plate and don't stick together in storage.  EXCELLENT flavors.  I used 2 butcher Italian sausages: one sweet one spicy that I stripped from the casing. Great ratio/flavor combo.  

I may try cubed roasted butternut squash with this stuffing as a top layer layer in a baking dish next. That way it might be scooped from the serving dish onto a plate or nestled into a bowl over wilted garlic spinach. The colors of deep green spinach with this orange squash and golden stuffing might be fab.  Thank you so much for your most amazing chef skills and creativity.  Every recipe is outstanding and so unique.  Could not be better. Thank you for sharing your talents. Thanks Sylvia.

I’m always looking for new ways to cook acorn squash, and this recipe delivers in spades.  I used a pound of bulk Italian sausage, subbed sweet potato for the parsnips and added 8 ounces of sliced baby Portobello mushrooms.  This made more stuffing than I needed, which was great since we ate the leftover stuffing for breakfast topped with a fried egg.  And those pecans—they’re addictive!  My hubby said this one’s a keeper and I agree.  Thank you for a great recipe!

This really was delicious.
I am not a fan of sausage so i made this with organic ground pork and added some sausage-spices like paprika, rosemary, thyme, and sage.
The maple pecans added a nice crunch and warm nutty depth. This recipe is a new comfort food!

Hi Sylvia! Quick question - you have us adding Kale at both Step 5 &amp; 6. Should I assume this is divided, or is that a typo?

Currently making it now and will use my best judgement, but it seemed confusing in an otherwise straightforward recipe.

Thanks!!

Made this for my friends who came into town last night. Was a total winner! They even fed small pieces of acorn squash to their toddler for the first time and he loved it! Would 100% make again :) thank you!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/U5TRlVxD.mp4

Maple-Glazed Stuffed Acorn Squash with apple, parsnips, pecans, and optional sausage. Vegan-adaptable! 

Stuffed Squash Video

These irresistible honeynut squashes are stuffed with a Moroccan-inspired lamb filling and are sprinkled with a crispy brown-butter breadcrumb and feta topping. It&#039;s a beautiful main course that’s as fitting on a weeknight table as on a special occasion menu. Honeynut squash has a rich, sweet flesh, but if you can&#039;t find it you can use acorn squash instead (since acorn squash isn&#039;t quite as rich or sweet as honeynut, I suggest adding a drizzle of honey or maple syrup to each roasted squash cavity before stuffing). If your squashes are really small, roast four instead of three.

Moroccan Lamb Stuffed Squash

Cooking spray

honeynut

extra virgin olive oil, divided

lamb

Salt and black pepper

garlic cloves, minced

ginger

tomato paste

cumin

coriander

cinnamon

cayenne pepper

chicken broth

pine nuts

mint,

cilantro,

unsalted butter

gluten-free panko breadcrumbs

feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment and spray it lightly with cooking spray.

Place the squash halves, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Roast until tender, 25-30 minutes for honeynut squash, or 40-50 minutes for acorn squash. Remove the pan from the oven and flip each squash over so that the cut side is facing up. Set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 550˚F. Do Ahead: The squash can be roasted up to 8 hours in advance. Leave at room temperature.

Roast the squash

While the squash cooks, make the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the lamb, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through (if the lamb releases a lot of fat while cooking, spoon it off as it cooks). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate and discard the drippings.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Sprinkle in the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne. Stir until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth and give everything a good stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Return the meat to the skillet, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, or until thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the pine nuts, mint and cilantro. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.

Make the lamb filling

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the butter is golden brown and smells nutty. Pour the butter over the breadcrumbs and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and then fold in the feta.

Make the breadcrumb topping

Season the squash halves with salt and pepper (if using acorn squash, I like to add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup to each squash cavity since it&#039;s not as sweet as honeynut). Spoon the lamb filling into each squash cavity, mounding it firmly in the cavity and over the top of the squash. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over each squash, pressing them to adhere. Do Ahead: The stuffed squash can sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour.

Roast the stuffed squash in the 550˚F oven until the top is lightly browned and crisp, about 4-6 minutes. Garnish with additional mint and cilantro before serving.

Assemble and bake

Loved this recipe. I’m going to add this recipe for my fall cooking. I made this with butternut squash but I will be looking for honey nut squash. I will be checking out other Moroccan recipes

Wow I have never had honeynut squash and this was perfect to try with this delicious lamb recipe. This will now be my go-to recipe! I didn't have pinenuts so I subbed dried cranberries. Mmmmm...every warm bite was like a fall party in my mouth!

This recipe is a keeper. Made 1/2 recipe for the two of us and and subbed almonds for the pine nuts because that’s what was on hand. The proportions were perfect for one acorn squash. We’re not big fans of sweets so I didn’t add any honey or maple syrup. Delicious! The notes were especially helpful, allowing me to make the components in the morning and put dinner together quickly.

Delish!!! Will definitely make this again! Was great to prepare parts early and put together right before dinner. I used GF panko.

Made this with a small halved butternut squash. I scooped out some of the flesh to make room for more stuffing. My husband and I both loved it! He's not the biggest squash fan, but with the lamb and all the great flavors, he ate an entire half squash and said, "don't lose this recipe!" It could easily be adapted to a veep or vegan dish, but we loved it as is.

This was fantastic! I used a Kubocha squash I had on hand and blended perfectly with the mix. Did not have chicken broth handy so I used some beef broth, which was fine. I love my spices so I pretty much doubled those and it was d*** tasty! Making it again tomorrow night for my son, coming home to visit. Prep time is pretty good. Cook the squash while prepping the onions and meat.

This was delicious.  Made some modifications all keeping in the spirit of the recipe.  Added a can of chickpeas, along with a 1/4 cup of raisins, a tablespoon of harissa and a dice preserved lemon.  I didn't have pine nuts handy so I toasted the squash seeds and used those.  Really nice dinner.

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Winter Squash Stuffed with Mashed P...

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Top 4 stuffed squash recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed stuffed squash recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Winter Squash Stuffed with Mashed P...

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