Roasted acorn squash is sweet and delicious all on its own and I often serve it in the fall and winter as the starch side. But this recipe caught my eye because it has both apple and kale, which are perfect pairings with the squash. So why not make them all into one dish, as they did at Cook's Country where this recipe originates.
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| Stuffed Acorn Squash with baked apples and a pork chop. |
Today I'm serving it with a maple glazed pork chop and some sautéed apples. Below I give you a recipe but you can follow it loosely without most measurements. It will still come together nicely and be a delicious pairing for your meal.
I already have two other stuffed acorn squash recipes on this food blog, so you can see that squash can be stuffed with many things. The other recipes are really more full meal replacements, where this is a side dish. Check out my squash stuffed with pears, bacon, walnuts and rice or my version with sausage and other goodies. Today I'm making a smaller version of the below recipe as there will just be two of us for dinner and I didn't measure anything exactly. After you've made the recipe a time or two, you'll do the same.
Ingredients (serves 6)
2 acorn squash
1/4 cup or so olive oil
Salt and pepper
6 ounces kale
1 Fuji or Gala apple
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
or substitute 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
4 tablespoons nuts, chopped coarse
walnuts, pecans or almonds work best
Instructions
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400F degrees or 375F if using convection roast setting. Cut the squash into quarters from pole to pole (pointy end to stem end) and scoop out and discard the seeds. Rub the squash wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Arrange wedges on rimmed baking sheet with 1 narrow cut side down. Roast until browned on first side, about 20 minutes. Flip wedges so other narrow cut side is down and continue to roast until browned on second side and tip of paring knife slips easily into flesh, about 15 minutes longer.
While the squash roasts, wash, stem and slice the kale into 1/4-inch thick strips. Core the apple, peeling if you prefer (I leave the skin on) and cut it into 1/4-inch pieces. Mince the garlic and rosemary if using fresh.
Remove sheet from oven and let wedges cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, scoop flesh from 2 least attractive wedges into bowl; discard skins. (You should have about 3/4 cup of scooped squash.) Turn remaining 6 wedges skin side down, flesh side up on baking sheet.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add kale, apple, and pinch of salt and cook, covered, until kale is wilted, about 3 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until any liquid has evaporated, about 30 seconds. Stir in scooped squash, mashing with spoon to incorporate, and cook about 1 minute.
Push squash mixture to sides of skillet leaving an open center. Add garlic, rosemary, and a tablespoon oil to center of skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into squash mixture. Stir in vinegar and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in butter and half of the chopped nuts and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide filling evenly among wedges on sheet. Evenly place goat cheese and remaining nuts over filling. Bake until cheese is softened and squash heated through, 5 to 7 minutes.
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