Mushroom, Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Acorn Squash
By: Anne DiGiovanna
Published: Thursday, October 11, 2012 - 9:56am

Ingredients




2 Acorn Squash
1/2 Shallot, chopped
1 Clove Garlic chopped
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach
2 heaping TBSP Parmesan Cheese
1 Cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 - 2 TBSP Heavy Cream
1/2 cup chopped baby bella mushrooms
Panko Bread Crumbs toasted
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Butter

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees 2 Saute 1/2 cup of roughly chopped baby bella mushrooms in 2 tbsp of olive oil 3 In a second saucepan, over medium heat saute 1/2 chopped shallot and 1 chopped clove of garlic until fragrant, about 2 – 3 minutes 4 Add in 1 defrosted package of chopped spinach, squeezed dry. Heat through – about 2 mins 5 Stir in 1 10oz package of frozen chopped spinach 6 Add in 1 tbsp heavy cream and stir 7 Add in 1 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese and stir to combine 8 Once heated through, add in the sauteed mushrooms and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper 9 Add in 2 heaping tbsp of parmesan cheese, stir to combine 10 Remove from heat and set aside 11 Slice the tops off of 2 Acorn Squash about 1/3 of the way down the squash and remove the seeds and membrane-y stuff from the base and the lid 12 Put 1 tbsp of butter into the base of the larger side of each split squash 13 Using a small spoon, scoop some of the spinach, cheese and mushroom mixture into each squash on top of the butter. Do not overstuff! 14 Top with toasted panko bread crumbs and replace the top of each squash 15 Gently place the stuffed acorn squash on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put into the oven for 1 hour until fork tender 16 Let cool slightly and then scoop out the flesh and filling and put into a serving bowl. Mix together and serve hot

About

A delicious autumn side dish that is as tasty as it is beautiful. Acorn Squash can be stuffed with almost anything and this cheesy, mushroom mixture really complements the sweetness of the squash.
It takes a bit of work, but the results are well worth it.
When decapitating the acorn squash, be careful and use a very large, sharp knife.
You can use whole milk instead of cream, but it's just a bit of cream, so splurge!
You may need to take a slim slice off of the bottom of the squash to create an even surface as it will be cooking upright in the oven.