Stuffed Winter Squash with Quinoa & Lentils
As summer transitions to fall and the big harvest moon rises, so will mounds of bulbous winter squash rise from the vines snaking over the soil, over trellises, and into the nether reaches of the food forest. All varieties of winter squash, even small ones like delicata and acorn, produce ample amounts of beta carotene-rich sweet meat and protein-packed seeds. Larger varieties like Hubbard and Kabocha can present a challenge, as in How will I ever use all of this squash?
Fortunately, your more-attuned taste for seasonal produce will also prompt you to want to eat more squash, especially in warmer, heartier meals. Here’s one using homegrown buttercup squash, however any small acorn, delicata, or gourd variety will work.
from SdV team member and food forest coach Luke Andahazy
Ingredients
2 squashes of choice. Butternut or Acorn would work wonderful here as well.
1 cup quinoa (or barley, wild rice or amaranth)
1 cup Cooked lentils, drained and dehydrated in the oven
Half an onion, minced
Celery, chopped
Hard Cheese. Manchego, Pecorino Romano, and Parmigiano-Reggiano are all ideal options. About 1/4 cup grated.
Breadcrumbs - optional.
Salt
Olive oil
Spice & season to taste. I used fresh basil, oregano, flat leaf parsley, and chopped cayenne pepper from the garden. Use your favorites here. Challenge yourself to not admit the pepper if you have a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of spicy food. The flavors of the fresh-grown pepper fruit blend in well with the other ingredients and isn’t like dousing your food in Tabasco.
Directions
Prepare the rice and set aside.
Prepare the cooked lentils. To dehydrate, spread evenly over foil on a baking sheet and bake at 250F / 120 C for 20 minutes.
Slice squash horizontally and bake until cooked at 350F / 180C, around 25 minutes or until pierceable with a fork.
While the squash bakes, prepare the celery and onion.
Scoop out the seeds from the center of the cooked squash, ensuring to leave as much gourd meat as possible. Toss these in the compost bin.
Scoop out squash meat ensuring that the skin stays intact. Create the “bowl” that we’ll be baking our filling mix in later.
Combine rice, lentils, cooked squash, celery & onion, and herbs/spices. Mix until well incorporated.
Add salt and a drizzle of olive oil and stir.
Fill the gourd skins with prepared mix.
Bake at 350F / 180C for 45 minutes.
(optional) Breadcrumbs - sprinkle on top and broil on high for 5 minutes.
Serving Suggestion
I paired my squash with fresh turnip greens topped with caramelized turnip, heirloom tomato, and purple basil and an edible flower from the garden.
Sueño de Vida is a regenerative cacao farm and reforestation mission in Ecuador. Sueño de Vida works to educate and inspire everyday people about permaculture, sustainable living, environmental activism, and healthy living all in the name of living more in harmony with nature to create a better world for us all.
You can support the Sueño de Vida mission today by purchasing our cacao or contributing to direct reforestation.
Thank you.