Meatless Monday: Stuffed Acorn Squash

Even though it's still hot as hades here in Texas, we're starting to see more of the winter squashes in our CSA bushel. And since they make the perfect conveyances for savory stuffings, it seems this little acorn squash was destined to meet its match in veggie sausage and onion stuffing.

What I'm sharing today is less a recipe than a methodology, a sort of equation for making stuffing for just about everything. You need only a couple of basic components: savory seasonings and add-ins (like veggie or regular sausage) and a starch. Combine these with a little liquid to bind them (whether it be egg or, in this case, vegetable broth) and you're pretty much set.

To make this stuffing, I cooked diced onion (which the Kid helped dice with his nifty safety knife by Curious Chef) with pressed garlic and diced green bell pepper until the onion was almost translucent. I browned some vegan sausage and added it, along with a couple of handfuls of panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs), to the onion mixture and tossed to combine. I poured about a 1/4 cup of vegetable stock over the mixture (maybe more, maybe less - it's really just a matter of eyeballing it until the mixture comes together) and stirred to combine.

I washed and halved my little acorn squash and then stuffed each half to overflowing with the stuffing. Into the oven at 375 degrees F it went and about 45 minutes to an hour later, we had supper. I served it alongside slices of baked sweet potato, French red lentils, and a fruit salad of raspberries and blueberries served with a dollop of lemon curd. Tasty!