The farm stands are full of every imaginable squash right now, and they beg to be stuffed!
Sweet Delicata winter squash are among my favorites. These little gems have a mildly delightful squash flavor and are loaded with nutrition. Every inch of these fruits is edible from the seeds to the peelings, so one little fruit can provide lots of texture for a main course. Directions on roasting the seeds below.
Perfect for stuffing
Slice them in half, and they beg to be stuffed. I’ll generally stuff them with whatever else looks good at the farm market, and on this particular day it was beautiful broccolini and crisp apples. Broccolini is sweeter and more tender than broccoli and has thinner stems. I think it works well with the apple and the creamy squash.
Another day, I’d have made this totally differently depending on what was available. Always use what you like and what is freshest at the market.
Bulk out with a grain or legume
I had leftover cooked lentils in the refrigerator, so I added them for a little bulk and more protein. You could substitute rice, quinoa, or any other grain you might have on hand. While this is a lighter stuffing with no bread, you can also omit the bean/grain altogether if you want something even lower in carbs.
I used a large Jonathan apple here, but you can substitute any firm apple you like, you just don’t want something that will disintegrate in the cooking.
Nutritional Dream
I would be hard pressed to find an entree with more nutrition packed into it than this one, tons of vitamins and minerals, fiber, protein, and probably a thousand micronutrients!
Autumn Stuffed Delicata Squash
- 3 delicata squash
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion or leek, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup broccolini florets, chopped
- 1 large, firm apple, diced
- 1 cup cooked French lentils
- 1 tsp. Herbes de Provence, dried
- 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely minced
- Parmesan cheese, grated, optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees, place the rack in the middle of the oven, and oil a baking sheet.
Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place on the baking sheet, rub a bit of oil and salt and pepper on the inside of the squash, and cook for about 8 to10 minutes, just until it loses some of its firmness. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Sauté until softened and starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Stir in the broccolini florets and cook until they are tender. This doesn’t take long. Add the apple, the lentils, herbes de Provence, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and cook for about two minutes.
Pile the stuffing into the six squash halves and sprinkle with a little grated parmesan if you like. There are some pretty good vegan Parmesans out there as well if you want to keep this dairy free.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the squash meets no resistance.
Let set for five minutes, and serve.
Toasted Squash Seeds
After scraping out the seeds, place them in a strainer and run under water, agitating them to loosen the pulp. Drain on a towel, and remove any left over pulp. This can be rubbed off with the edge of the towel.
Place them on the baking sheet with the squash, single file, and keep an eye on them. Remove when lightly toasted, season with salt, and let cool. Use this for a garnish on the squash boats if you like, or save for snacking.
You can also toast them in a frying pan on top of the stove.
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How very festive. Looks delicious. 🍁🍂🌾
Thank you Gail. It always feels a little festive to stuff a vegetable, and it makes them stars!
Well said, Dorothy, well said. 👏
looks tasty!
Thank you so much! We all loved it.
Squash has come a long way. 🙂
It certainly has! I’m working on another post about squash, a couple I found at the markets this year and had never tried before. Stay tuned!
this is so tasty Dorothy and delicata squash is my absolute favorite!
it is a perfect squash in my book, sweet, but not too much, squash flavor, but not too much, and you can eat every bit of it!
yes! I hope to find a farmer’s market where I can purchase a bunch!
Happy hunting!
🙂
Reblogged this on Shepherd Cathy's Sights.
Thank you so much Cathy! I appreciate it.
Lovely, Dorothy I can taste these beautiful flavours my mouth is watering..
Thank you Carol! These flavors are really beautiful fall!
This looks so delicious. The combination of veggies, legumes and even fruit, in the stuffing is brilliant! 🙂
Thanks so much Ronit! They really were quite yummy, and stuffing any vegetable makes elevates them to special!
My number 1 in autumn and winter. Thank you for the creative filling.
You’re very welcome Doc V! I always have them tucked away.
Who knows….
Stuffed squash is delicious and your recipe looks wonderful.
I wish I could have a farmers market here! I really miss it!
It looks really good and full of nutrients indeed 😋
Thanks! It is one of those dishes that is really delicious and you don’t have to feel guilty about at all!
I love recipes like this, and what a great idea to garnish with toasted seeds, will definitely do this soon!
Jenna
Dorothy, I missed this one! My goodness, this is just up my alley.
I must tell you. Yesterday I lunched out. We had a sweet potato rosti with ‘beetroot hummus’.. Yum. Becoming vegan keeps giving and giving! The restaurants and cafes, around our little part of the world, are catering more and more to the more unusual palette and eating styles. Hallelujah!
The ‘beetroot’ used for the hummus was firstly ‘pickled’. Oh, dear; I’m salivating already!
What a great place to venture to! How interesting that the beets were pickled first, I don’t think I’ve had any kind of hummus using a pickled vegetables, but I’m certainly going to have to give it a try! Thanks so much for the tip!
You and me both! Last year I had tons of beets growing. This year I decided against them. Oh, shame!
I’ll be buying some… hahahh.
You are a cooking wizard!
🪄Thank you!