Comprehensively Stuffed Squash Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat it with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Stir in sausage and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring to break up sausage into small pieces, until sausage is browned and bell pepper is soft and sweet, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain off any fat.
• Stir goat cheese and sausage mixture in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
• Hollow out a 3/4-inch deep well in the center of each squash half. Place each piece on the prepared baking sheet, cut-side up. Season with salt and black pepper; fill each with 1 to 2 tablespoons cheese and sausage mixture. Top each squash with breadcrumbs and lightly drizzle with remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is golden and squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• For four servings of stuffed squash, split 2 decent sized acorn or butternut squash lengthwise down the middle. Remove the seeds and bake, face down, on an oiled tray for 30 minutes at 350, or until tender enough to eat.
• Saute onion, garlic, celery, nuts and seeds, lightly salted, in butter. Cook over low heat until onions are clear, nuts are browned, celery is tender (in other words, cook until everything is perfect.).
• Add remaining ingredients (except cheese and egg). Cook, stirring over low heat, 5-8 minutes - until everything is aquainted. Remove from heat and mix in egg and cheese. Pack stuffing into squash cavities.
• Bake, covered, 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut 1-inch off the top of each acorn squash and scoop out the seeds. If necessary in order for the squash to sit upright, cut off a small portion of the bottom. Put 1 of the 4 pieces of butter in the cavity of each squash. Set squash on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown the ground pork until no longer pink. Remove the meat from the pan, add the olive oil and saute the onion, celery, and carrot until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
• Return the pork to the pan along with the cooked rice, spinach, pine nuts, oregano and salt and pepper, to taste. Stirring constantly, heat mixture thoroughly, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Divide the mixture evenly among the squash, top each squash with its lid and bake for 1 hour or until the squash is tender. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cook the pearl barley following pack instructions, crumbling the stock cube into the boiling water for extra flavour. Drain and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts and almonds in a dry pan until nutty brown. Tip into a bowl and set aside. Use the same pan to toast the fennel and coriander seeds for a couple of mins, until aromatic. Grind the spices using a pestle and mortar.
• Cut the squash in half lengthways through the centre. Scoop out and discard the seeds and any fibrous bits. Keep scraping to carve out a channel down the centre of both squash halves for stuffing, you may need to score the flesh with a knife first if your squash is very firm. The squash shell should be about 1.5cm thick all over when you've finished. Roughly chop any squash you remove and set aside. Score the flesh of the 2 squash halves in a criss-cross pattern, trying not to pierce the skin, rub with 1 tbsp oil and season well.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a pan and cook the onion, chopped squash and leek for 8-10 mins until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for another min. Add the pearl barley, nuts, spices, feta, herbs, dried fruit and lemon zest. Season well and cook for a min or 2 more, then pack the filling into the cavities in the 2 squash halves, keep any leftover stuffing. Tie the halves back together with kitchen string, as you would a joint of meat. The squash will shrink a little as it cooks, so make sure you make the knots nice and tight. Rub the outside with a little more oil and season well. Alternatively, wrap well in foil.
• Place in a roasting tin lined with some foil or parchment and cook for 1 hr. Check if the squash is cooked by inserting a knife, it should go in with little resistance and the flesh should feel soft. Scatter any remaining stuffing around the squashetta and return to the oven for another 5 mins to warm through. Mix the tahini, lemon juice, honey and a drizzle of water to make a dressing. Carve the squash into slices and serve drizzled with the tahini sauce and scattered with parsley.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Put in a microwaveable bowl, cover and microwave on High for 20 mins until softening. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, reserving the skin, and mix with the remaining ingredients. Spoon back into the skin and transfer to a baking tray. Cook for a further 10-15 mins until tender and the cheese has melted.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Slice off 1 inch crosswise from stem end of each squash; set aside. Using a melon baller, remove the flesh from squash, bottoms and tops, leaving 1/8-inch-thick shells. Coarsely chop the flesh; set aside. Place the squash bottoms and tops in a steamer, and steam until just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from steamer; set on a wire rack, cut side down.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add onions, garlic, and reserved chopped squash. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan, and transfer to a medium bowl.
• Make the filling: Return skillet to heat; add lamb, and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon, until crumbly and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Transfer meat to the squash mixture, and add breadcrumbs, pine nuts, currants, feta, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, mint, and 3 tablespoons tomato sauce. Stir well to combine.
• Stuff the squash to the rims with the meat mixture. Place the squash tops on top. Pour the remaining tomato sauce into the baking dish, and place the stuffed squash in the sauce. Bake until the squash are tender, about 30 minutes. Divide the sauce among the plates, place the squash on top, and serve.

Steps:

• Cut 1 inch off the top and bottom of each squash. Use a melon baller or small spoon to scrape out the seeds. Sprinkle the inside of the squash with salt and pepper, then stand them upright on an oiled baking sheet.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. When it foams, add onions to pan and sauté, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften and turn translucent, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Add kale to pan and continue to cook, tossing, until kale begins to wilt, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and put vegetables into a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, place bread cubes on a sheet pan and toast in the oven until they begin to crisp on the outside, approximately 7 to 9 minutes. Add bread cubes to the bowl with the vegetables, and then add blue cheese and cranberries. Stir to combine.
• Put pecans in a dry sauté pan set over medium heat and toast the nuts until they begin to darken and turn fragrant, approximately 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and allow to cook for 1 minute, then scrape into the bowl with the rest of the stuffing and toss to combine. Taste and season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees. Divide the stuffing between the squash. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 6 pieces, and top each squash with a dot of butter. Roast squash until the flesh has softened and you can easily pierce it with a fork, approximately 45 minutes. If the squash is browning too quickly, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top to prevent burning.
• Sprinkle parsley over the squash. Serve 1 whole squash per person as a main course, or 1/2 squash or less as a side dish.

Steps:

• Heat grill to high. Place squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, season and pop under the grill. Cook for 15 mins, turn and cook 15 mins more until softened. Scoop out the fl esh, and chop.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a pan over a high heat. Cook the mince for 10 mins. Mix in the purée, cumin and couscous. Add 100ml/3½fl oz water. Cover, remove from heat. Leave for 10 mins.
• Tip in the squash with most of the cheese. Fluff up the couscous. Pile into the hollow squash. Top with remaining cheese and grill until bubbling.