Dinner In A Squash Shell Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place squash in baking pan; pour in enough boiling water to come 1/2-inch up the sides of dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until squash is tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven; cool until easily handled, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Scoop out squash; separate strands with a fork. Reserve shells.
• Cook beef, onion, and bell pepper in a skillet over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes; drain. Stir in garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir in squash; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
• Fill squash shells with squash mixture using a slotted spoon; place in a shallow baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until flavors combine, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese; bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Bake halved and seeded acorn squash face down on a baking sheet for 30 minutes.
• While squash is cooking mix filling and put in refrigerator until squash is ready.
• Mix basting ingredients and set aside.
• When squash done cooking, fill with meat mixture, mounding extra on top.
• Cover with basting sauce.
• There should be plenty leftover.
• Return to oven for 40 minutes, basting with extra sauce every 10 minutes.
• I usually have extra filling which I cook seperately and extra sauce which I heat in a small pan for safety sake and serve on the side.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Add the squash, shallot and garlic to a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the thyme, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and toss again. Roast until the squash is tender and light golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add the pasta shells and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and let cool.
• Squeeze the roasted garlic into a small food processor or blender, add the squash, shallot and vegetable broth and puree until smooth.
• Mix together the spinach, cream cheese, ricotta, red pepper flakes, 2/3 cup of the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl. Stuff about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture into each shell; set aside.
• Add the pureed squash mixture, heavy cream and butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the remaining 1 1/3 cups Parmesan.
• Spread the cheese sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the stuffed shells in the baking dish seam-side up, shingling them so they all fit (you should have 5 shells along the short side and 6 shells along the long side). Top with the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Top with more Parmesan and sage before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until onions are soft and release liquid, 15 minutes. Uncover; raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until onions are browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon rosemary.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes less than package instructions suggest. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking water. Return pasta to pot.
• Stir squash and reserved pasta water into onions; simmer 2 minutes. Toss squash mixture and 1/2 cup Parmesan with pasta. Transfer to prepared dish.
• Combine bread cubes with remaining Parmesan, rosemary, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Top pasta with bread cubes; bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until the onions are soft and release their liquid, about 15 minutes. Uncover; raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the onions are browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the rosemary.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot.
• Stir squash and reserved pasta water into the onions; simmer for 2 minutes. Toss the squash mixture and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan with the pasta. Transfer to the prepared dish.
• Combine the bread cubes with the remaining Parmesan, rosemary, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Top the pasta with the bread cubes; bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Substituting Fresh Squash
• Roast whole winter squash on a rimmed baking sheet, turning occasionally, until very tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour, depending on the size of the squash. When cool enough to handle, halve the squash lengthwise and scrape the flesh into a food processor (discard the skin and seeds). Purée until smooth. You will need 2 cups (from about 3/4 pound squash).