A Recipe for the Fall: Stuffed Squash...oh yyyuuuummm

Ok so it's not the prettiest but it tastes pretty!

Ok, so I had been in search of a good stuffed squash recipe. And by squash, I mean any kind of squash (even zucchini). My garden has blessed me with many Italian white squash, they are kind of like a cross between a thick zucchini and a ghost. I had two in the refrigerator since probably August and just got two more this week, so clearly I was in a hurry to find the best stuffed squash recipe I could. And I did!

First, lets revisit squash and pumpkins. You could use a small sugar pumpkin if that is what you have, or you can use an over grown zucchini or summer squash, but the original recipe I found uses an acorn squash. All of them are delicious and whatever you have on hand, go ahead and use it!

Again, tonight I used the italian thick white Italian zucchini. I have a special scooper that assists in scooping out the insides, because this is what you will have to do. You will want a nice cavity to really get all that meat stuffing on in there. If you use an acorn or other hard squash, you will need to halve it and cook it, cut side down, in the oven for at least 30 minutes. Now that I think of it, you could always half the zucchini too, and scoop out the middle.

Oh did I mention that this is a pretty easy recipe?

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Ingredients

• 3 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup water (for pre-cooking)
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• FILLING:
• 1 pound lean ground beef (Or turkey, or chicken)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup Russian salad dressing
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
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• GLAZE:
• 1/4 cup Russian salad dressing
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
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I know, its strange with the Russian dressing and all, but trust me, its GOOOOOD. I actually had to make my own and will post recipe at the end. So cook the squash first (375F), if using zucchini you can skip this part. Mix the filling ingredients together, mixture will be wet. Stuff each squash with the meat mixture and then add a little of the glaze on top (Skip the glazing if stuffing a whole zucchini). Baste every 20 minutes with the glaze until the meat and squash are fully cooked. I'd say probably another 45 minutes to an hour.

If you are unable to glaze, I made a pan gravy that was delightful. In a hot skillet, add about 1-2 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 cup of flour to make a roux. Pour the pan drippings into the skillet and whisk. Add some chicken stock and the remaining "Glaze" ingredients, bring to a simmer and allow the sauce to thicken and cool.

Russian Dressing: 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tbsp horseradish, 1 tbsp grated onion. Mix and voila!