29 Sep Fall Stuffed Acorn Squash

Quite possibly my favorite part of Fall is the wonderful varieties of winter squash that begin showing up in vegetable stands and grocery stores around town. Winter squash are easy to store, versatile to cook with and full of wonderful vitamins and nutrients! This Fall Stuffed Acorn Squash can be served as a meal in itself or hold the meat and add it to the Thanksgiving Day spread!

Ingredients 

• 2 Acorn Squash
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried mustard powder
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Vegetables

• 3 medium carrots
• 1 medium zucchini
• 4 celery stalks
• 6 medium crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 small onion
• 2 cups kale

Steps:

1. Bake acorn squash in 350 degree oven about 30-40 minutes until tender
2. Brown meat and add spices/seasonings
3. Chop all vegetables into similar sized pieces, add to meat mixture and cook, stirring frequently about 5-8 minutes until veggies become tender
4. Cut squash in half, remove and discard seeds and scoop out some of interior, stirring into meat/veggie mixture (this makes more room for meat/veggie mixture in the squash bowls)
5. Spoon meat mixture into squash halves
6. Enjoy immediately or bake another 5-10 minutes if desired