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September 25, 2009

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash

i'm stoked to try these

I ripped out a bunch of recipes from some magazines to try last week.  I plan on knocking out each one as we begin autumn.  First recipe tried is from the current issue of Martha Stewart Living.  It’s the picture in the upper middle.

When we were in Morocco a few years back, we had a wonderful couscous with chicken garbanzo beans and squash…It was a dish that Casey, my brother Ryan and I still talk about.  Here I took a pic!

After making this recipe tonight, Casey said:

“This reminds me of Morocco. MMMM. This must be made again. MMMM. And I want more meat next time!”

It was very very good.  I would have liked it even more if it wasn’t super hot today!  But yes, it’s one of those recipes that’s perfect for a cozy evening in with a nice glass of red wine.  Yum!

I really liked the golden raisins.  The acorn squash I bought was not really that sweet, so the raisins really stepped it up! The nice spice of the cinnamon and nutmeg warms you up!  I caught Casey scraping the skins of the squash until there was nothing left.  It was that good!  Nice work, honey!

I guess this means that I will be making it again- with more meat filling.

So let’s get started!

I used an ice cream scooper to dig out the seeds.  It works SOO well.

scoopage!

I cut the bottoms off so they would eventually lay flat when I turned them over.

Aren’t they prettie?

prettie squash!

Here are some of the crucial ingredients:

ingredients

Browned the meat…and set it aside.

ground beef

Added the bulgur to the onions

stirring in bulgur

Out of the oven and onto my plate!  (there were more steps involved)

tonight's dinner

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash


(Recipe Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Serves 4)

  • 2 medium acorn squashes (ab 2lbs), halved & seeded
  • 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 lb. ground chuck (95% lean)
  • 2 tsp. course salt
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup bulgur wheat
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley
  • 2 tblsp. toasted pine nuts

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place squashes, cut sides down in a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 4 quart pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add ground beef, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl or plate using a slotted spoon, keeping as much of the cooking liquid in the pot as possible.

3. Add onion, and cook until slightly translucent, about 5 mins.  Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining teaspoon salt and the bulgur, and stir to combine.  Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Take pot off the stove and let sit covered for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork, and add reserved beef, the raisins, parsley & pine nuts.

4. Scrape out baked squashes, forming 1/4 inch thick bowls, and fold flesh into bulgur mixture. Divide among squash halves, and return to the oven. Bake until warmed through and tops are browned. 12-14 minutes.

Enjoy!

  • kaylovesvintage

    it looks so yummy & beautiful
    nice blog

  • kim

    well isn’t that pretty! i love your blog!

  • Allyson

    These photos made even my vegetarian mouth water!

  • kickpleat

    Honestly, I’m kind of scared of stuffing things into other things…uh, like peppers and squash! But this sounds good and if I added a ton of meat, I bet I could get the husband to eat this too.

  • Sara@SproutedKitchen

    yum!! I have been wanting to make something like this but i cant bring myself to fall foods while it is still humid and sunny here in southern california. I have to eat with the weather, cant help myself. In due time, this looks fabulous!

  • whitney

    Oooh! This sounds really good and if I leave out the pine nuts, it’s totally Cyrus-friendly!

  • Tracy

    @Allyson- I keep thinking that it would be super simple to make a vegetarian version! I would just subtract the meat and maybe add some type of bean! Or you could just fill up on the bulgur mixture only.

    @kickpleat- don’t be scared! It’s super convenient and if you have a husband who isn’t a vegetable fan, he will be forced to finish it!

    @Sara-Yes! It’s still hot up here in the Bay Area. I thought today’s foggy morning was going to stay around and I could make a soup for dinner- sadly it didn’t! welcome by the way! I’m a huge fan 🙂

    @whitney- YES! do it. I hope he loves it!

  • Sam@BingeNYC

    Wow. This looks fantastic.

  • Tyla

    Despite my love for squash, I’ve been feeling uninspired with the beauties appearing at the greenmarket. Until now. If my hair weren’t dripping from the shower, I would throw on my coat right now, dash out the door, and go hunt down some acorn squash for dinner tonight. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

  • Alisha

    I think I will be trying this next week! I have been on a bit of a squash kick myself recently.

  • Vanessa

    I made this last night before trick or treating and was a HUGE success. Super easy and SUPER DELISH! Thanks for the recipe!

  • Alisha

    What is your opinion on using quinoa instead of bulgur? I have a bunch of quinoa and I need to start using it!

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