Roasted Stuffed Acorn Squash

Are you a fan of squash???

I LOVE them all!! I look forward to fall because of it!! I found this recipe on Pinterest! Roasted & Stuffed Acorn Squash! Check it out! Let me know what you think!!

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper
¼ onion, finely diced
¼ lb extra lean ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Pinch cumin
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch cinnamon
¾ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup black beans
¼ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped, divided use
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
¼ teaspoon orange zest
¼ cup finely shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1 green onion, chopped, for garnish

Preparation:

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

-Prepare the acorn squash by cutting off the bottom “point” to create a flat surface (don’t take too much off), and also cut the stem part off to create another flat surface, again taking care to not cut too much off; next, cut the squash in half width-wise, in the center, creating 4 halves; scoop the seeds and stringy bits out, drizzle a little bit of olive oil into each of the 4 halves, and add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper to each half; place each squash half onto the baking sheet with the cavity facing down, and roast for roughly 35 minutes, or until the flesh is fork tender; remove from the oven, and allow the squash to cool slightly until they can be handled; leave the oven on.

-While the squash roasts, cook the ground beef by placing a medium-size non-stick pan over medium-high heat, and drizzling in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil; once the oil is hot, add in the onion, and saute for about 2 minutes; next, add in the ground beef and break it up with a spoon/spatula into small crumble; once the beef has slightly browned, add in a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, the garlic, the cumin, the cayenne and the cinnamon, and stir to combine; allow the beef to finish browning, then turn the heat off, and turn the seasoned beef mixture out into a bowl; next, add to the beef the cooked brown rice, the black beans, the quartered cherry tomatoes, the chopped cilantro, the sunflower seeds and the orange zest, and combine the ingredients very well; add another pinch of salt if needed, and set the mixture aside for a moment, keeping warm.

-Once the squash is cool enough to handle, spoon equal portions of the beef/rice mixture into the cavity of each squash half, sprinkle over the top about 1 tablespoon of the sharp cheddar cheese, and place the halves back onto the baking sheet and into the oven to bake for an additional few minutes just until the cheese melts!

For more recipes, join my online Virtual Gym! Request HERE.
Your friend and coach,
Jen Delvaux