I'm one of those folks who hated squash as a child but has come to appreciate it as an adult. I still don't love it by any stretch of the imagination but I no longer gag at the sight of it.
We had received a few acorn squashes in our CSA delivery over the past few weeks so I went on a hunt to find a good recipe for them. I have seen plenty of posts online about stuffed acorn squashed so that was the focus of my search. This recipe for squashed stuffed with sausage, bread crumbs, and nutty fontina cheese looked pretty yummy - particularly with the added hit from fresh sage.
I pulled this together last weekend while Paul was at work and I must say it was a huge hit at dinner. The pic doesn't do it justice. . . .
Dinner came together quickly - less than 45 minutes. The stuffed squash and a crisp salad was all that was needed.
Squash Stuffed with Sausage and Fontina
3 small (or 2 medium) Delicata (I used acorn) squash, halved lengthwise
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
Black pepper
3/4 c. ground sweet Italian sausage
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh sage
1 c. panko bread crumbs
3 oz. fontina, cubed (1 1/2 cups)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush cut-side of Delicata squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place squash halves cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast until softened, 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add shallot, garlic, and 2 tablespoons sage and cook until sausage is cooked through, 3 minutes more.
In a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add panko and remaining 2 tablespoons sage. Cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
Remove squash from oven and heat broiler. In a large bowl, combine sausage mixture, half the fontina, and half the bread crumbs. Stuff each squash half with sausage mixture and top each with remaining fontina and breadcrumbs. Broil until cheese is melty and bread crumbs golden, 2 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve with a simple green salad.
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