Stuffed Acorn Squash

As with so many of us, we used January as a time to reset our healthy eating habits. I feel like we really feel off the rails from Thanksgiving to New Year’s and by December 31, we both felt like rolly pollies! This month we have been focused on clean eating and dry January.

We were doing great with our clean eating until we had to go to New Jersey for my grandmother’s funeral. While it wasn’t unexpected, it wasn’t planned either. Needless to say, we took a detour on clean eating, as we couldn’t not have breakfast at the diner or enjoy a glass of wine in memory of my grandmother.

My grandmother was an excellent cook. She wasn’t a fancy cook, but everything she made tasted delicious. Maybe it was because love was always sprinkled in whatever she made. When I was living in New Jersey, we had dinner together weekly, where she would always send me home with a container of lentil or escarole and bean soup. She also made the best cheesecake! It never cracked, just like what you find in the dessert pastry counter at the diner or bakery.

Acorn squash is another versatile and healthy vegetable that, while is considered a winter vegetable, is grown and eaten year round. The health benefits of acorn squash make it a great clean eating food.

Health Benefits of Acorn Squash

• Boots immunity with vitamin C
• Help keep you eyes and skin healthy with vitamin A
• A single serving contains 9g of fiber – great for keeping blood sugar levels regulated
• Regulates blood pressure with high levels of potassium
• Keeps your bones strong with a wide variety of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, copper, and iron

This stuffed acorn squash recipe is delicious. I use two ground meats for additional flavor – beef and pork. If you don’t eat beef, blend turkey and pork; or just use one type of ground meat. The acorn squash may take up to 40 minutes to roast. I like to start with the squash face down. I check the squash at 15 minutes, where I flip it over and let it continue roasting for another 15-20 minutes.

This is a good weeknight dinner, as it doesn’t take long to cook and assemble. While the acorn squash is roasting, you can prepare the stuffing. You may have additional stuffing left over, which makes for an egg-free, high protein breakfast or lunch.