I recently purchased a variety of squash from a local farm.
One of the varieties I decided to try was an ambercup squash. I was told by someone at the farm that ambercup is excellent stuffed and baked, so I decided to give it a go.
I was craving something sweet and spicy, so I opted to create a stuffing using hot Italian sausage (but any variety of sausage that you like would work). I included a bit of goat cheese which lends a bit of creaminess and tart zing to the stuffing.
The result was nothing short of fabulous. The sweet and creamy flesh of the squash was well complimented by the spicy filling and I was left wishing I had purchased a bucketful of the squash so that we could have the same dish again every week.
We ate it accompanied by that fabulous corn bread I made recently and even Squirrel inhaled it, excitedly pointing out to us that she was eating “Punkin!” (Hey, I’m not about to correct her if she’s eating it!)
This same recipe can be used even if you don’t have ambercup squash. Try it in acorn squash, or whatever else suits your fancy!

Baked Stuffed Squash
La Fuji Mama
Makes approximately 4 servings

1 ambercup squash, halved and seeded
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage (you can use sweet instead)
1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped/chiffonaded
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. panko (you can use regular dry bread crumbs instead)
1/3 c. crumbled goat cheese
1/4 c. pecans, chopped
pinch of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place squash halves cut side down in baking pans. Fill pans with about 1/2 inch water. Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender.

3. While squash bakes, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place onions and celery in the skillet, and cook until tender. Stir in the sausage and fresh basil. Cook and stir until evenly brown.

4. Remove from heat, then add the beaten egg, panko (or bread crumbs), goat cheese, pecans, and nutmeg and stir until well mixed.

5. Remove squash from the oven and carefully fill the squash halves with the stuffing from the skillet. Set stuffed squash in the baking dishes.

6. Bake 20-25 minutes, until heated through.