Stuffed Butternut Squash

The New Year's Resolution in our household has been to make a significant increase in the amount of vegetables and whole foods in our diets. This meal, butternut squash stuffed with brown rice, garlic and onions, was a definite success in achieving our goals. It didn't hurt, either, that it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! Butternut squash is sweet and, well, buttery, and the stuffing was savory and extremely flavorful.

 

I had to get the hubs to stop eating so I could take a picture!

I had read several recipes for stuffed squash on the internet, and decided to adapt them to fit the ingredients that I already had on hand. 

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 (5.7 oz.) package of instant brown rice (the one I used was chicken flavored and tasty!) You don't have to use instant rice, but I had some in the cabinet and it made things a little bit easier for me.
• 1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheese
• olive oil (or canola)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the squash in half lengthwise and place on a lightly greased pan (I used olive oil), with the inside of the squash facing down. Roast the squash in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until tender. 

While the squash roasts, make the stuffing. Make the rice according to package directions. When the rice is done, pour it into a small glass bowl and set aside. In a small frying pan, brown the sweet onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until the onions are tender and clear-looking. Add the onions and garlic to the rice and mix well. 

By this time, the squash should be nice and tender. Flip the squash over to expose the buttery insides. Make a squash bowl by scooping out the insides with a spoon, leaving about an inch wall. A squash wall! Spoon the rice mixture into the squash bowls and top with cheese. Place the squash (facing up, this time) back into the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

And there you have it! Stuffed Squash! This recipe is easily modified by what you already have on hand in your pantry. I think next time I will add some spinach or other greens.We found that we could not eat an entire half of squash at one sitting, so we quartered ours. It was great the next day for lunch as well! 

Happy eating!