Rustic Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Preheat oven to 325 F. Wash and dry squash, halve them lengthwise, scoop out seeds and rub the cut side with olive oil. Place the halves face down in a 9×13 or other flat-bottomed baking dish and fill around the squash with about ¼” depth of water. Bake for 45 minutes.

While squash cook, prepare stuffing. Add pancetta into a medium saucepan and turn to medium low heat, stirring occasionally until almost all the fat has rendered, about 20 minutes.

While pancetta cooks, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small non-stick or cast iron skillet. Add crumbled sausage (see note), and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside. When pancetta is done, remove it to the same bowl as the sausage using a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat in the pan as possible.

Return the pan with the pancetta fat to medium high, and add a little olive oil if the pan looks dry. Add carrots, celery, shallot and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes (any liquid should be evaporated). Add the dry quinoa and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute, to toast and prevent clumping while it cooks. Add stock, thyme bundle, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes, uncovered, until quinoa is fully cooked. Turn off heat and remove thyme bundle. Add sage, sausage and pancetta, dried oregano, capers, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, most of the Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper (seasoning to taste). Stir until well mixed.

After squash are done, remove dish from oven. Increase oven temp to 375 F. Turn the acorn squash halves cavity side up and drain the pan. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out some of the squash flesh, leaving about ½” thick layer lining the skin. Set aside the extra flesh for later use (see blog post for ideas). Spoon ¼ of the quinoa stuffing into each squash half, pressing it down slightly so it doesn’t spill out. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan. Bake for about 15 minutes, until squash are very soft and Parmesan is melted. To brown Parmesan, broil for a minute or two, watching carefully to avoid burning.

Note: If using vegetarian sausages, crumble before adding to pan. If using chicken or other sausage with casing removed, add whole links to pan and break up as they cook. Don’t use pre-cooked meat sausage—it won’t crumble.

Special diet adaptations:
Meatless – omit pancetta; omit sausage or use vegetarian sausage; use butter to cook vegetables.
Dairy free – omit Parmesan; substitute nutritional yeast for added “cheesy” flavor if desired.
Vegan – omit pancetta and Parmesan; ensure that vegetarian sausage is vegan as well or substitute mushrooms; cook vegetables in olive oil.
Vegetarian – omit pancetta and ensure Parmesan and sausage are vegetarian.
Nightshade free – confirm ingredients in sausage; omit shallot; ensure stock is nightshade free or substitute water or homemade.
Nut free – omit pine nuts; substitute toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, if permissible.