Sausage and Rice-Stuffed Acorn Squash

I made a lot of substitutions and additions and when it was done, it came together as a very flavorful and interesting entree. The cumin really enhanced it. However, I made a big mistake.  The recipe says to "Mix well, breaking mixture down to a paste-like consistency," which I did in a small blender. Unfortunately, I forgot about the sausage and made a paste of that as well! You could kind of taste it... I added almonds and butternut squash for more crunchiness, used Delicata squash instead of Acorn, Parmesan cheese instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and regular sausage instead of lamb (so I omitted the mint) and added fresh oregano. First, I halved the squash lengthwise and put it in the microwave in a pan with water for about 15 minutes.

2 servings

17 calculated points

Zinfandel

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash halved and seeded
• 8 ounces merguez (spicy lamb) sausage casings removed
• 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 ⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ⁄2 red bell pepper diced
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 egg
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to hold the 4 squash halves in one layer.

Crumble sausage into a bowl. Add salt, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, diced pepper, buttermilk or yogurt, chopped mint, and egg. Mix well, breaking mixture down to a paste-like consistency, 3 or 4 minutes. Mix in cooked rice.

Divide mixture among the squash halves. Sprinkle stuffing with a pinch or 2 of breadcrumbs and some grated cheese. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Cover dish loosely with aluminum foil, more tented than wrapped; foil shouldn’t touch the tops of the stuffed squash.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake until top is golden brown and squash is soft and tender, 30 to 45 minutes.