Little Stuffed Winter Squash

My favorite application of the very small, sweet winter squashes is to cut them in half and stuff them with something. I don’t have to peel or chop the squash or even take the time to scoop cooked squash out of its skin and puree it. And each squash half makes a nice, neat, cute little serving. In addition to providing a flavorful accompaniment to the stuffing, the squash also serves as a convenient containment vessel, kind of like the fried tortilla or bread bowl, only less caloric and with a higher WFQ*

These little squash usually have names that are more like terms of endearment, like sweet dumpling, sugar loaf, heart of gold and delicata. Okay, so maybe that last one doesn’t really work, but you get the point. They tend to be fairly sweet and a bit easier to handle than their bigger cousins. I like to roast them for a while before cutting them, which makes them soft enough to cut through more neatly as well as easily, so I can make them into nice bowls for stuffing.

Recently, I stuffed some with a Southwestern-style combination of black beans and rice. This is a really easy stuffing to throw together, and the measurements of the ingredients aren’t all that important. You can make more or less of the stuffing depending on how big your squash bowls are, or you can double it to stuff more squashes. You can also partially cook the squash and cook the stuffing a day or two ahead and just assemble and bake an hour or so before you serve. (You may need extra baking time of you have chilled the pre-cooked ingredients.)

So, have you planned your Thanksgiving meal yet? And how about your vegetarian guest?  You know, the one that you always forget to accommodate. (And who can blame you? You’re busy!) The one you always tell that he or she can just eat the side dishes, and then you forget that you made the mashed potatoes with chicken broth until after he or she eats half the bowl, and then you keep your mouth shut, but feel guilty until Easter. Well, this would be a nice main course for your vegetarian friend or relative (or self.)

*WFQ: Whole Food Quotient

Beans and Rice Stuffed Squash
This dish is vegan if you leave out the sour cream garnish.

2 small winter squash, such as sweet dumpling, heart of gold, delicata or very small acorn
1 tablespoon canola, or other neutral-tasting oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup bell pepper (I used red)
½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
1 medium to large clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup cooked brown rice
½ cup cooked or canned black beans
½ cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 scallions, finely chopped
sour cream for serving, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Pierce the skin of the squash in several places. Put the squash in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.

2. Cut the squash in half parallel to the stem as neatly as you can. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Return the squash halves to the baking dish, cut side up. If you turned off the oven while the squash was cooling, preheat it to 375 F again.

3. Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the onion and peppers are soft and beginning to brown, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, cumin chili powder and crushed red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more.

4. Add the rice, beans and vegetable broth. Cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed, but the mixture is still very moist. Stir in the cider vinegar and scallions and remove from the heat.

5. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt over the insides of the squash halves. Spoon the rice mixture into the squash cavities, evenly distributing it between the four halves. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375 for 30 to 45 minutes or until the squash is very soft. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Makes 4 servings. Wrap and chill leftovers and warm them up in the microwave.

Another recipe like this one: Quinoa Stuffed Squash

One year ago: Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup

Two years ago: Crunchy Cabbage, Cauliflower and Apple Salad

Take this Squash and Stuff it

If you don’t hear from me for a while, you might want to come by and make sure I haven’t been buried by a pile of winter squash. In my efforts to increase the WFQ* of my diet, procure food from more local sources, and eat more seasonally, I get the bigger of the two boxes the CSA** offers. About now, it becomes clear to me that it is difficult for two people to eat one or two squash a week.

Luckily, since squash is so prolific, ingenious cooks have been coming up with different ways to serve it for generations. Luckily also, winter squash keeps well for weeks (sometimes even months if stored properly), so I don’t have to try all those recipes in an insane 10-day squash marathon. I’ve got some time.

After a yummy success with some little stuffed squash last year, I couldn’t wait to try this recipe when the squash rolled in this year. These carnival squash are great for stuffing, since each half is one generous serving. I can roast the squash halves and stuff them, and it’s dinner for two (the usual format around here), and I can eat the leftover stuffing for lunch the next day. Since the quinoa in the stuffing is a complete protein, and all that vegetable matter is quite filling, the stuffed squash is a real meal, at least as far as I’m concerned. (In fact, it’s a rather large meal, which you might want to take into account if you’re a light eater.)

There are all kinds of great foods with which one could stuff a squash, I suppose, but I get a kick out of using “New World” (ie, native to this hemisphere) grain with the New World winter squash. If you haven’t tried quinoa, what are you waiting for? I like the way it keeps a little bit of pop in the bite when cooked (not to be confused with the crunch of an undercooked grain). It has a mild, nutty flavor, and this stuffing, with its savory leeks, sweet-tart dried cranberries, and crunchy walnuts seems a natural accompaniment to the sweet, almost creamy roasted squash.

I’m thinking that if you’re serving a large fall celebration meal (such as, oh, Thanksgiving in a little over a month) with a roasted turkey, chicken, ham or whatever, and you’ve invited a vegetarian, rather than saying, “Oh, s/he can just eat the side dishes,” why not give them just a bit more of your time and serve him/her a little stuffed squash. The squash can be roasted ahead of time, and you can also make the stuffing in advance. Just stuff the squash and warm everything through after you take the meat out of the oven to rest and be carved for everyone else.

This quinoa stuffing is great on its own, just eaten with a fork, although I’d recommend tasting it for salt before adding all the salt called for in the recipe. The squash itself isn’t seasoned much and benefits from the extra punch in the stuffing, but the stuffing might be a little salty by itself. (It will probably depend on the saltiness of the broth you use to cook the quinoa.) So, stuff that squash or just eat the stuffing. Or do both. The stuffing recipe is easily doubled.

*WFQ = Whole Food Quotient
**CSA = Community Supported Agriculture. This one is ours.

Quinoa Stuffed Squash Recipe

To Roast the Squash

Two small squash (four halves) will generously serve four people, and can be stuffed with one recipe of Quinoa Stuffing. You can use this method for roasting most varieties of winter squash, although cooking times will vary.

2 small winter squash

salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the squash in half from stem to base. Scoop out the seeds and seed fibers. Sprinkle the squash cavity with salt.

2. Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Begin testing squash for doneness at 40-45 minutes. It is done when a fork easily pierces the flesh all the way through.

Quinoa Stuffing Recipe
This recipe makes enough stuffing for 4 small squash cavities. You could use chicken broth in place of the vegetable broth. With the vegetable broth it is vegetarian. Use oil for the butter and this dish is vegan.

This recipe is inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light magazine.

1 cup vegetable broth
½ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
½ cup uncooked quinoa***
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup thinly sliced, well-washed leek
½ cup finely chopped celery
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts

1. Bring the vegetable broth and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the quinoa. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked and most of the broth is absorbed. (Just taste the quinoa to see if it is done.) Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet (preferably nonstick, or you may need more butter) over medium heat. Add the leek, celery and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Saute about 8 minutes, or until the leek is beginning to brown, stirring often.

3. Stir in the black pepper, sage and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the quinoa, dried cranberries and walnuts, and cook 1 more minute, or until warmed through. Set aside to cool slightly (or cool completely and refrigerate for later use).

For the Stuffed Squash

Oven: 350 F

1. Spoon about ½ cup of completed stuffing into each roasted squash cavity. Place the stuffed squash in a baking dish and bake at 350 F 15-20 minutes or until the squash is very soft and the stuffing is slightly browned on top. If the squash and stuffing were prepared ahead of time, it may take longer to bake the stuffed squash. Increase the baking time until heated through.

Makes 4 generous servings.

***Most quinoa sold in the U.S. has been processed to remove saponin, a bitter, soapy, naturally-occurring substance on quinoa grains. If you have reason to believe your quinoa has not been so processed, you can rinse the grains before cooking.