Stuffed Acorn Squash with Maple Syrup, Lemon and Pecans

Sorry for the tardiness in getting recipes up lately. I’ve been busy testing recipes for an article on cooking with kids for Alive Magazine. From a list of over fifty I whittled the options down to ten, and I’ve been busy testing them. This one did not make the cut, not because it’s not a great recipes, but because it’s a little too long, complicated, and not so kid-friendly. First you bake the squash, then sauté the fillings, add this now, wait, add that later, then stuff the squash, then re-bake then sprinkle with pecans and bake more. That’s a lot of steps – not exactly fix-it-and-forget-it..

Not that it has to be, but simpler and shorter is usually better, especially when you want kids to be (and stay) involved and interested. And the main kid-friendly step – stuffing the squash – is tricky because the filling is hot. So you have to wait for it to cool before it’s safe to stuff.

So, kids’ loss is your gain. Where you would have had to wait until September to get this recipe if it was published, now you can have it right away. Hurray!

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Maple Syrup, Lemon and Pecans

2 acorn squash
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peel and diced
1 red onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
½ tsp salt, divided
1 zucchini, diced
¼ cup sulfite-free dried cranberries or diced dried apricots
¾ tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp pecans
2 ¼ tsp olive oil, divided
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup organic low sodium vegetable broth
3 tbsp maple syrup, divided
Juice of 1 lemon, divided

Cut in half, scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. Toss diced sweet potato with 1 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Scatter around squash on baking sheet. Return to the oven for 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and remove squash from baking sheet to a plate. Let cool cut-side up. Brush cut side with a mixture of 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp maple syrup and a pinch of salt.

Remove sweet potato to a large bowl. Try not to eat it all now.

Heat large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add 1 tsp olive oil then add onion, carrot, and celery. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat if vegetables begin to stick. Add 1 tbsp of water if necessary.

Add apple cider vinegar and 1/4 tsp salt and raise heat to medium-high. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in zucchini to coat, and remove from heat.

Pour into large bowl with the sweet potato. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice, dried cranberries, and thyme. Stir to combine. Let cool 10 minutes.

Return squash cut side up to baking sheet lined with a new piece of parchment paper. Wash hands and fill each squash half with handfuls of the filling. If the squash overflow it’s fine because the excess filling should be placed around the squash on baking sheet anyway. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with pecans. Bake 8 more minutes, until pecans are toasted.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with 2 tbsp maple syrup and remaining lemon juice.