Blue Cheese & Caramelized Onion Stuffed Acorn Squash

HAPPY OCTOBER!! Time to bust out some serious fall flavors. Let’s start the month with an ultra-delicious squash recipe! I made this last night after work – you can prep the whole thing from start to finish in about 30 minutes, score! It was a huge hit. The sweetness of the squash, onion, pumpkin, and cinnamon are perfect with the salty bite of the blue cheese and the heat of the cayenne.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Caramelized Onion + Blue Cheese

1 acorn squash, halved and scooped out
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups crimini mushrooms, chopped
3 cups spinach
1/2 pound lean ground turkey
1 can (14.5oz) crushed tomatoes
1/2 can (14.5oz) pumpkin puree
1 tbsp coconut oil
Blue cheese crumbles
Cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, sea salt, cracked black pepper

Preheat your oven to 375.

Rub the squash halves with a bit of oil, dust with salt and pepper, and let it roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Heat up the coconut oil in a big skillet on medium-high and add the onion with a bit of salt. Let it cook until browned and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add your mushrooms and ground turkey, and stir occasionally until the turkey is browned. Mix in the spinach – it should wilt almost immediately.

Remove the filling from heat and stir in the crushed tomatoes and pumpkin puree. Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne (I don’t really measure, just a healthy shake of each) and a good sprinkling of both salt and pepper.

Take the squash out of the oven and scoop the filling into the halves until they’re super full but not overflowing. Top with a few pinches of blue cheese crumbles and return to the oven for everything to cook together for another 15 minutes.

This obviously makes two halves and would serve two people (or one super hungry person, no judgment here). You’ll probably have a bit of filling left over – you can either reuse it for stuffed squash or sweet potatoes on another night, or I also like to mix it in with some quinoa and top with more blue cheese.

For more healthy recipes, cocktails, food travel, and restaurant reviews, check out ES Emily’s individual blog, A Time to Kale, or tweet her @emilyteachout.