Best of Winter: Stuffed Acorn Squash

I stumbled upon a recipe this week that is both super simple and super delicious.  I love recipes that involve stuffing vegetables with meat and other vegetables, and this falls right into that wheelhouse.  It has the added benefit of using produce that's easy to find in the cold season.

Imagine: Hearty beef, sweet squash, tart apple, savory bacon and aromatic rosemary combining to create a flavor explosion or, as my husband insists I call it, a "Flav-splosion."

Best news of all: this incredibly filling dinner comes in at a measly 400 calories!

The original recipe is here (Stupid Easy Paleo).  I reworked it a bit to match what was happening in my fridge.  I also felt that there was too great a stuffing-to-squash ratio, so I halved the stuffing for a total of 2 servings.  Or use 1 lb beef and 6 slices of bacon, saving extra for use in tomorrow's frittata!

Ingredients:
1 large acorn squash, washed, cut into halves, with seeds and innards scooped out
1/2 lb.  ground beef (I used grass-fed, 91/9 lean)
1/2 onion
1 apple (I used Pink Lady which is very similar to Honeycrisp)
1 bell pepper (red or yellow)
3 slices of bacon (I cooked extra for breakfast)
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground or rubbed sage
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: (Multi-tasking tips are parenthetical)
1. Preheat oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with foil. Spray one with cooking spray and place a wire rack in the other.  Squash goes cut-side-down on the first and bacon goes on the rack.  Once oven is ready, both go in.  Set a timer for 15 minutes.
2. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. (While the meat is going, you can dice your veggies and apple.)  Use a a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl, leaving the fat in the skillet.  Cover beef to keep warm. 
3. Your timer should be going off, or will momentarily, so check on your bacon.  If it's ready, take it out.  If you like it crispier, give it a few more minutes.  Reset your timer for 30 minutes.
4. Turn your burner down to medium and toss your onions into the hot beef-fat, cooking until translucent and soft.  Add in the apple and pepper and continue cooking for 5 minutes or so.  (While that's going, your bacon should be cool enough to slice or crumble.)
5. Return beef to skillet and stir in spices.  Turn heat to low/warm, cover and wait for your timer to go off.  (I like to use this time for cleaning up the huge mess I've made.)
6. When your timer goes off, remove your squash from oven and let it cool enough to handle.  Then scoop half of the stuffing into each squash half and serve with half of the bacon on top.
Nutrition:  Cals 400    Fat 64g    Prot 27g    Chol 88 mg    Carbs 43g    Sugar 7g    Fiber 12g    Sodium 186 mg

I also sprinkled on some goat cheese, because goat cheese is awesome.

I really hope you try this recipe, or let it inspire you to try your own reimagining.  The only cooking skill required is patience!

Have a happy, healthy weekend.

bgt