Nothing says fall like stuffed orange squash. It’s a fact. According to me anyway…
This is a take-off on a recipe I had made a while back… almost the exact same; however I made this version with raw honey and chopped walnuts (instead of brown sugar and bread crumbs- original recipe HERE). I prefer this one… it’s more au natural, shall we say 😉
This is a super simple way to get some comfort into your day. The squash takes on a soft creamy texture once baked and mixed with herbs, ghee, and honey. Then it’s stuffed back into the squash shells (or skins? nah, I like shells!) and broiled with a crunchy walnut topping. It’s light. It’s healthy. It’s fall.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1 large butternut squash
2-3 sage leaves (1 tsp chopped), plus more for garnish
1 generous tsp honey (preferably raw- I use THIS kind)
1 generous tsp ghee (or butter)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
small handful walnuts, for topping
*olive oil, salt, & pepper for roasting squash
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Chop squash in half, lengthwise
Remove any seeds and stringy bits with a spoon
Drizzle some olive oil over each half and then sprinkle with some salt
Place each half facedown on a large baking sheet
Bake for about 1 hour, until the squash is soft/cooked through
{cooking time will vary depending on squash size- smaller squash may
take only 30-40 minutes while larger ones may take up to an hour… poke with a fork to check doneness}
Using a spoon, create a line around the exterior of the squash
to delineate where you will scoop the squash out
(you want to leave enough of a wall to hold the squash’s shape, so don’t scrape it out all out!)
Remove the filling and place in a large bowl
Finely chop sage leaves (leave a few aside for garnish, if desired)
You should have about 1 tsp or so chopped
Add the sage, honey, ghee, salt, and pepper to the squash
Stir until well-mixed
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired
Scoop the mixture back into the squash shells, filling them as evenly as possible
Place then back on the baking sheet, if not already
To make walnut topping…
STart with a small handful of walnuts, about 1/4 cup
You can choose to chop them by hand of preferred, however I find that using a food processor is easiest
Blend them until you get your desired texture- I like them chopped very fine
Use as much as you want- I topped each squash half with about 1 tbsp
Sprinkle the walnuts over the squash
Crank oven to broil (or the highest heat on your oven)
Let squash broil for just a few minutes, until the topping is a light golden brown
That’s it!
Top with sage leaves if you want, serve, and enjoy!!
Gorgeous! Gotta love a squash recipe that doesn’t require peeling, lol!
Haha right!!? 🙂
Looks delicious! This recipe says to bake for 1 hour and the previous version is for 30 minutes. Which one works best? 🙂
Hi Sha,
Thank you for pointing that out! On my previous recipe, the squash was smaller and therefore took less time, but I have clarified the cooking times now to be more accurate (it all depends on the size of the squash). Thank you for the comment! I would say plan on between 45 minutes and 1 hour for medium to large squash, 30 for a small one. Hope that helps, and thanks again! 🙂