Maple Roasted Acorn Squash

Hooray for winter squash! Hooray for cooler temperatures! Hooray for the oven, that keeps the whole house cozy and warm!

There's no better way to warm up on a cool day than to bake--why not bake up some squash? A lovely acorn squash cut into wedges and de-seeded are the perfect canvas on which to paint with extra-virgin olive oil... then whatever you please!

After the oil, I drizzled these generously with maple syrup and dusted with salt, black pepper, nutmeg and just a touch of cayenne pepper. After about 30 minutes in a 350*F oven, they were deliciously soft. A perfect autumn lunch!

Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole

In my house, January is all about combining warm, comforting food with healthy options. It's also time to use up the bounty of winter squash still hanging around the kitchen.

And what better way than to combine a healthy winter squash like spaghetti squash with my own sauce, italian sausage and mozzarella cheese for an oven-baked casserole?

Spaghetti squash doesn't really taste like spaghetti. It just comes out in strands, hence the name. But it does have its own flavor and texture. I can't trick myself into thinking I'm actually eating pasta--I just embrace it for what it is. Squash. Squash coated with yummy tomato sauce and salty, creamy cheese with hunks of mildly spicy sausage. Now that's some good stuff.



Baked Spaghetti Squash

1/2 cooked spaghetti squash (see below for cooking instructions)
about 2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1/4 pound italian sausage, cooked and cut up into bite-sized pieces
about 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Grease a pie plate or casserole dish and using a fork, separate spaghetti squash into strands while holding over prepared dish to direct squash into dish; top with sauce, sausage, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Bake in a preheated 350*F oven for about 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

With a sharp knife, stab spaghetti squash all over and place on a paper-towel lined microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 7 minutes. Turn over and microwave on high another 5-7 minutes (or more), depending on the size. Check squash with an oven-mitt-covered hand--when squash yields to gentle pressure, it's done.

Carefully remove hot squash from microwave to a cutting board. Remove stem and halve lengthwise. Be very careful of the steam! Remove seeds and enjoy.

Quinoa Stuffed Winter Squash

Every Tuesday I host a ladies' lunch in my home. Many of the ladies have dietary restrictions, so I try to prepare low fat, low glycemic-index meals to share.

Yesterday I had a three-and-a-half pound hubbard squash just calling to be cooked. Now I've never even had hubbard squash, so this was a true mission into the unknown. But I heard it's the king of all squash--so that was promising.

I adapted a favorite stuffing recipe. Now that I no longer indulge in bread, I try to replace bread with other healthy grains. And quinoa is one of my new favorites! So it was natural to use quinoa instead of cubed bread for this stuffing.

Here is the hubbard squash, already stuffed, but before roasting.


Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the cooked, stuffed hubby; however since the recipe made more stuffing than would fit in the cavity of the hubbard squash, I sliced open a butternut squash, as well. Here's a picture of that.

Winter Squash with Quinoa and Sausage Stuffing

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth/stock
1 cup water
winter squash (I used a 3.5 lb hubbard squash plus one 3 lb butternut squash)
1 1/2 lb sweet italian sausage, casings removed (I used low fat sweet pork sausage because I had it on hand, and added some red pepper flake to spice it up... but it would be good with hot sausage, too.)
2 tablespoons butter
1 med. onion, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine or stock of choice
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth/stock
1 medium tart apple, peeled, cored & diced (I used MacIntosh)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dates
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Place first three ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed (10-15 minutes). When done, grains will be translucent and the outer germ layer will separate. Makes 3 cups cooked. Set aside.

Split or otherwise open winter squash. (For the hubbard squash, I cut a lid out of the top. For the butternut, I split it down the middle.) Remove seeds and strings.

Cook crumbled sausage in a large skillet in olive oil until cooked through. Remove sausage. Melt butter in skillet; add onion and saute until soft and transparent.

Add wine, broth, apples, dried cranberries, dates, salt and pepper, cooked sausage. Stir until combined; simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Stir in prepared quinoa and remove from heat. Let stand 10-15 minutes. Quinoa will absorb remaining liquid.

Brush interior and cut sides of squash with melted butter. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Scoop quinoa-sausage mixture into squash cavity. I spooned stuffing into my hubbard squash and replaced the lid, put in a baking dish and added about ½ cup water in the bottom of the pan. For the butternut squash, I filled the cavity and piled additional stuffing over the rest of the squash on the cookie sheet, added some water to the bottom of the pan, and covered with foil to bake. Bake at 350 degrees until tender, about 2 hours. Serve hot.

Serves 8.


My guests loved it--as did I! Here's an 'after' photo:



From the carnage you can see that we devoured the hubbard--and that we're not shy about eating! This was a perfect autumn meal. It would be wonderful as a Thanksgiving side dish... especially if you prefer to roast your turkey unstuffed, a stuffed squash is a real treat!


Warm, squashy greetings from my home to yours,
Mrs.W