Happy Tuesday! Today, I'm continuing my Thanksgiving side-dish mini series! And, as you can see from the title, today's topic is stuffing. I feel like stuffing is everyone's favorite part of Thanksgiving, and while I can totally appreciate that, I also totally don't get it. Any time I eat stuffing, I feel like something is missing! Not to mention that actually cooking your stuffing inside the turkey can be potentially hazardous... this is because your moist vegetable and bread mix sits inside a COLD, RAW turkey for god-knows-how-long until that bird is actually cooked through. And even if your turkey is cooked to a safe temperature, most of the time, the stuffing doesn’t reach a safe temperature until much later. This means that by the time your stuffing is cooked through, your turkey will be very dry and overcooked. Gross! Why don't we just all agree to make stuffing in a separate dish, yeah? You can always make it and stuff it inside a roasted acorn squash... that seems like a more delicious, less dangerous situation.
For this delicious side dish, I started with two acorn squash {squashes? squash's? I don't even know}, and roasted them in the oven for about 30 minutes, until they were golden brown and tender! Yum. Then for the stuffing, I cooked my favorite rice & quinoa blend as a base, but you could absolutely use plain rice or plain quinoa, whatever floats your boat. I sauteed some Italian sausage, mushrooms, and spinach, mixed them with my rice & quinoa and Parmesan cheese, and stuffed everything in my acorn squash halves. The whole thing was then sprinkled with breadcrumbs and extra cheese, and baked just enough to toast the topping. Totally easy! And totally, totally delicious. Even if you wanted to forgo the squash, the filling by itself is amazing, and absolutely deserves a spot on your Thanksgiving table! And while you're at it, be sure to make my Homemade Green Bean Casserole, too... it has a fried shallot topping! Hellooo, delicious. Your family will love these updated dishes!
- 2 acorn squash
- 2 cups cooked rice and/or quinoa
- ½ lb Italian sausage
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups raw spinach
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sage
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Heat the oven to 400F.
- Wash and dry your squash, carefully cut them in half, and scoop out the seeds. Grab a baking pan, and grease surface with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Grease the squash inside and out with the rest of the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place cut-side down in the pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, then flip, and cook for 10-15 minutes longer. Squash should be easily pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, in a medium pot, cook your rice/quinoa according to package directions.
- Heat a large pan on medium-high heat, and add the sausage. It should be fatty enough that you do not need extra oil! Cook, stirring often, until the sausage is lightly browned and no pink remains.
- Add in the sliced mushrooms and spinach, and season with salt, pepper, sage, and garlic powder. Cook until the vegetables are soft.
- Now, add the rice mixture to the sausage and vegetables, and mix in the Parmesan cheese.
- Flip your squash halves right-side-up in the baking dish, and stuff with the rice mixture. Top with breadcrumbs and additional Parmesan, and broil for 2-3 minutes, until topping is golden brown. Serve immediately!
Ruth says
I used the Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patty in bottom before adding the rice mixture, and my vegetarians loved it! Thanks!
Capt Cabo says
Love it. Your awesome and fun.