A great side dish served hot; any leftovers can be chopped and served as a salad (warm or cold). A vegetarian version of the original, which called for chorizo as part of the stuffing.
Start to finish: 45 minutes- 1 hour
Ingredients
- 2 delicata or autumn frost squash, cut in half through the stem and seeded
- 2 T olive oil, plus more for rubbing the squash and oiling the dish
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chopped leeks (from 1 small leek) or red onion
- 1 cup chopped apple or pear (from 1 to 2 fruit)
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups sliced tender greens (like spinach, tatsoi, kale, Swiss chard), cut into ribbons
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped very small
- 4 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups cooked millet, rice, or quinoa
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, Parmesan or other sharp cheese
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Rub the flesh of each squash half with olive oil, and oil an ovenproof dish or baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the whole baking dish with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
- Lay the squash flesh-side down in the dish and bake until it is very tender when pricked with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the squash from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425°F.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks to the hot oil and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the apple, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper, and cook for another minute.
- Add the greens, broccoli, sage, cooked grains.
- Cook for another minute, stirring to combine, and remove from heat. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.
- Flip the cooked squash over in the baking dish so it is flesh-side up. (Be careful, as steam will escape when you turn it.) Scoop the filling into the cavity of each squash half, piling it into a mountain so that it holds as much as possible.
- Sprinkle with cheese and bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
