This pork and apple stuffing is a good place to start with stuffed squash but know that you can customize the filling as you wish—it’s a great way to use leftover rice and vegetables.
Stuffed Squash
filling for 2 moderately sized Carnival or Acorn squash; adapted from Whole & Nourished
Ingredients
- 2 Carnival squash or any other moderately sized winter squash (acorn, sweet dumpling, delicata, honeynut, or one large butternut; Carnival is a hybrid of acorn and sweet dumpling)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt
filling
- 1 cup cooked rice, brown or white
- 1 pound ground pork or pork sausage Amaltheia, John Smith Ranch, Olive Branch or other locally-sourced pork
- 1 apple, diced and core discarded
- ½ yellow onion, diced optional
- 3 fresh sage leaves, sliced thinly or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled; omit sage if using sausage because it's usually seasoned with sage
- 2 or 3 kale leaves, stem removed, thinly sliced and chopped
- 1 carrot, diced optional
- 1 celery stalk, diced optional
- ½ cup dry white wine optional use apple juice or broth as a substitute
- ½ teaspoon salt
- several twists of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg
Instructions
Par-Bake Squash
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash in half crosswise, then scoop and discard seeds. Rub the olive oil onto the flesh of the halved squash, sprinkle with salt, and place cut-side down in a glass baking dish or on a sheet pan. Bake for 30 minutes, until slightly tender.
Make the Filling
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Place cooked rice in a large bowl and set aside.
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Brown the pork in a frying pan over moderate heat, crumbling it with a spoon as you go until it is completely cooked. Transfer pork to the bowl of rice and keep the drippings in the pan.
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Add the onions to the pan and cook a few minutes until softened but not browned. Add sage, kale, apple, carrot, celery, cook a couple more minutes then pour in the wine and deglaze pan (scrape bottom with a wooden spoon). Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl with the rice and pork, stir to cool a touch, then add the egg and stir to combine.
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Using a large spoon, divide the filling among the squash halves, cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 400°F, removing the foil in the last half of cooking.
