Hi Friends, happy Tuesday! Â Today I’ve got a new quick and easy dinner recipe for you that I promise you are going to love!
I swore this weekend I was going to make a grocery list and stick to it.  When Sunday came around I had no list, no plan, and I really needed to get the grocery shopping done.  Luckily I was immediately inspired at Sprouts, they had tons of winter squash right at the front.  I’ve never tried delicata squash before and they were so pretty, so four of them impulsively went in my cart.
One of my favorite things to do with squash is roast it and stuff it with ground meat.  It’s so easy to quickly brown th meat, tastes amazing and is packed with nutrition.  Well at least I think it tastes great, Mr. Hungry loves the Chicken Chorizo and Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash I make because it hides the squashy flavor pretty well, other squash based recipes he isn’t that thrilled about.
Needless to say he was less than enthused when he saw them on the counter.  I let him know this was a new kind of squash we hadn’t tried before.  I also threw in that the label said they were suppose to taste like corn, hoping that would help ease some of his expectations of disgustingness.
We ended up loving it, BOTH OF US!  Successful healthy dinner with lots of leftovers indeed!!!! Note: I read a lot about how delicata squash is supposed to taste like sweet potatoes, it’s actually sometimes called the sweet potato squash, but we both thought it tasted like sweet honey cornbread.
On another side note, you know what I love? Â When I spend hours taking staged pictures of a recipe and don’t really love any of them. Â Then I end up using an iphone shot picture that was only captured to go in my weekly eats recap.
No nutrition facts for this recipe because the site I usually use didn’t have Delicata in their database (well it had it in cubes and I have no idea how many cups each squash makes).  However, delicata squash only has 30 calories per cup and is packed with the antioxidant powerhouse Vitamin A for healthy immune support and skin.
Lastly, when cooked you cat both the flesh and the skin, which are both packed with fiber that aids in healthy digestion. Â I tried the skin, it was okay but the texture was kind of weird, maybe it will grow on me though!
Helpful-
Choosing a Delicata Squash
Since this isn’t the most common vegetable in the world, I did some research to help you out if you decide to try this recipe!
- Choose one that is heavy for it’s size
- The darker the yellow color and green stripes the riper it is
- Avoid squashes with soft or dark spots
Of possible interest:
- Healthy Delicata Squash Recipes (Eating Well Magazine)
- 10 Ways to Enjoy Delicata Squash (Fruits & Veggies More Matters)
- 3 Ways to Cook Delicata Squash (Wiki How)
Stuffed Delicata Squash Boats
Ingredients
- 4 Medium Delicata Squash
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1.25 lbs sweet Italian ground chicken or other flavored meat
- 1 container 10 ounces cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
- 4 cups baby spinach
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Wash and dry squash. Cut in half, place face down in 1/2 inch water in baking dish (I used two 9 x 13 casserole dishes), bake for 25-30 minutes or until fork tender.
- While squash in baking saute onions and garlic in olive oil on medium heat until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground chicken and saute until fully cooked, 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently to break up chunks.
- Add in tomatoes and saute an additional 1-2 minutes until skin begins to wilt.
- Add spinach and saute 1-2 minutes until wilted into mix.
- When squash is done baking divide mixture evenly among boats and serve with desired toppings like parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, etc.
