I thought this recipe sounded delicious and I've been wanting to try it out for a while. Unfortunately, I'm just very bad at coordinating having both the ingredients and the energy to make it. I finally did it though! I mean, I ended up having to substitute frozen kale for the fresh because I ended up using up all the fresh kale in another dish. But that worked out okay in the end. And we all got to enjoy delicious stuffed squash.

Between the cheese, the almonds, and the combination of butter and oil, this dish is a little more calorically dense than I'd prefer for a vegetable side. It is very tasty though. And relatively filling. And, although I haven't worked out all the nutritional information, I'd think it should pack a decent punch fiber- and nutrient-wise between the squash, kale, and apple. And it definitely feels a bit special and indulgant, which is nice.

I only tried the apple-almond version, but I've included the pear-hazelnut variant as well. It also sounds great (possibly even better than the apple one), but I didn't have any pears on hand, so I stuck to the apple recipe for this time around.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2016

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, quartered pole-to-pole
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil¹
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 170g kale, stemmed and sliced
• 1 Fuji or Gala apple, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 60g soft goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Scoop the seeds and guts from the squash wedges and discard them.
3. Drizzle the squash quarters with 1-2 Tbsp. of the oil, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and pepper and toss to coat.
4. Place the wedges with one cut side down on a baking sheet and roast until the downward-facing side is browned (~20 minutes).
5. Flip so that the other cut side is facing down and roast for another 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. Once cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the two least attractive wedges. Discard the skin.
8. Flip remaining six wedges skin-side-down on the baking sheet.
9. Heat 1/2-1 Tbsp. of the remaining oil over medium heat.
10. Add kale, apple, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt and cook, covered, until kale wilts (~3 minutes).
11. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated (30-60 seconds).
12. Add the scooped squash flesh, mix well, and cook until beginning to brown (1-2 minutes).
13. Push squash mixture to sides of pan and pour in remaining 1/2-1 Tbsp. of oil, garlic, and rosemary to the centre.
14. Cook until fragrant (30-60 seconds).
15. Stir the garlic mixture into the squash mixture.
16. Add the vinegar and cook until evaporated (~1 minute).
17. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
18. Divide filling among squash wedges.
19. Top with goat cheese and almonds. (~10g of cheese and 1 tsp. of almonds per wedge.)
20. Roast until almonds are browned and squash is heated through (5-7 minutes).
21. If desired, drizzle with extra oil before serving.

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Variations

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Pear and Hazelnuts

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, quartered pole-to-pole
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil¹
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 170g kale, stemmed and sliced
• 1 anjou pear, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 60g soft goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. chopped toasted hazelnuts

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¹ I halved all the oil quantities called for because I'm trying to lose weight right now. If you're also feeling calorie-conscious, then use the smaller amount of oil. If you're not worried about calories and would like maxium richness, use the larger amount. ^Back