Taste of Autumn Squash
September 15, 2016
This is one of my favorite, super healthy side dishes during the Fall & holiday season. Everybody loves this & always asks if I'll be making it at Thanksgiving. I've also served this alone as a fabulous & satisfying dish for lunch or a light dinner.
Serves: 2 to 4 as a side dish / 2 for lunch or light dinner
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups orange juice, no pulp & not from concentrate
1/4 cup roughly chopped dried apricots (see Tip# 1)
1 cup pineapple, chopped into large bite-sized pieces see Tip# 2)
1 Tblsp organic dried cranberries
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
Freshly grated nutmeg (see Tip# 3)
2 Tblsp of a combo of roughly chopped almonds & cashews, divided (or use whatever nuts you desire such as walnuts, peanuts, pecans etc)
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350°.
2 Slice the squash in half & scoop out all the seeds. Cut a thin small piece off skin side to keep it steady while cooking.
3 Add orange juice or water to a foil lined, 3 quart glass baking dish, place squash in skin side up & bake for 45 minutes.
4 In a bowl; mix apricots, pineapple, raisins & cranberries. Set aside till squash is ready.
5 Remove squash from oven & drain off liquid.
6 Turn squash over & fill each well with half the fruit mixture. Sprinkle each with 1/4 tsp cinnamon, some grated nutmeg, then 1 Tblsp chopped nuts.
7 Return to oven & bake another 15 - 20 minutes.
8 Leave on middle oven rack & give it a quick broil for 2 minutes, no longer or it might burn.
9 Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes & serve (see Tip# 4). If you want to serve 4 people, just carefully slice each piece in half.
Tips & Suggestions
1 Make this even healthier by using unsulphured, dried apricots. These apricots are not soft like the sulphured ones, so you'll need to soak them for about 20 minutes in a very small bowl of water to rehydrate them a bit. Drain & roughly chop up the apricots.
2 You can use fresh, frozen (partially defrosted) or canned pineapple in it's own juice... whatever you have on hand.
3 In any recipe that calls for nutmeg, I always suggest using fresh grated nutmeg & not the store bought variety. The aroma & taste of fresh grated nutmeg is beyond compare!
4 If making ahead of time; cool to room temperature & place in individual containers. Either refrigerate to reheat within a day or 2... or freeze for longer storage (use up within 30 days).
This recipe sounds indeed interesting. With all those dry fruits and nuts, cinnamon, I’m sure it would have smelled heavenly while making.
It really does Lathiya, the house smells amazing for hours after you make it!
This squash looks delicious Simone. I agree it would make a perfect light dinner!
Thanks Nart, glad you think so!
This acorn squash stuffed with so many goodies sounds so delicious:). Perfect for Autumn. I love the variety of the dried fruits and seasonings you are using. House must smell like heaven when you cook this.
Oh yes, the house smell amazing for hours!
What a beautiful way to fill baked squash! Love the idea of baking it in orange juice too . Must really add to the flavour!
Oh yes Jacqui, the orange juice is a flavor booster for sure!
Oh yes, I am all about roasting squash it makes it divine! This is the perfect addition to any Thanksgiving table!
Thanks Angela 🙂
This would be a beautiful dish to take to a potluck or large gathering – a little showy and something all ages would enjoy, while not being too sweet!
Amen to that Beth!
Yum! I bet the orange juice adds extra moisture and flavor, making it super delicious!
It surely does Ai!
This looks so good! I’m going to make your recipe but will be using butternut pumpkin, because we don’t have acorn squash here.
That’s great Harriet, any hard squash will work!
This looks delicious! I’m putting this on my list for Thanksgiving! 🙂
Terrific! I hope you & your guests enjoy it Erika!
I have always loved acorn squash and this recipe sounds delicious! I’ll be adding it to my recipe collection and hope to try it very soon.
I’m with you Shirley… I’m a fan of acorn squash too. Glad to hear you’ll be giving it a try 🙂
I always like your recipes, this looks even more delicious.
Thanks so much for the compliments John, they are most appreciated!
Looks yummy… I would like to eat different dishes in the festive season( that is going on now). I will try this out. Thanks for sharing.
Oh you’re very welcome Rupy. I agree with you about switching things up a bit during the holidays. I hope you enjoy this once you give it a try!
That’s looking yummy and delicious ….. and it will surely taste the same too…..:)
Thanks Anindya, glad you think so!