GUEST BLOG – Fun + Festive Fall Recipe: Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash

 

This blog post was written by Rachel DiGiorgio, one of our clients in Wakefield! We love when she posts her recipes on her social media, and we’re so excited that she took the time to write one up for us. Enjoy!

Nothing screams “Fall is Coming” like all of the warm flavors of fall! Although I love the indulgence of the holiday season, my waistline probably would not appreciate me eating a giant turkey dinner, with all the fixings, on a regular basis. I mean, we all need a cheat meal here and there, but after crushing workout after workout it’s so important to fuel our bodies with foods that are going to work with us not against us. After all, what you put into your body is more than half the battle.

When I’m brainstorming a weekly menu, I’m always trying to find ways to “lighten up” some of our favorites but still make it something everyone in my family will eat. I’m still working on my four year old’s picky palate but she’s getting there :). Cooking is my passion so I want to keep it fun and creative, but at the same time simple enough to be able to prepare it in between homework, sports and whatever else we have going on in our busy family of 5.

One of my newest creations is the perfect solution to the comfort of a turkey dinner disguised in a simple, healthy meal that is on the table in under an hour. My Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash take all of your favorite holiday flavors and combine them in a delicious mashup of Autumn delight.

The preparation is basically a three step process (prepare the squash, prepare the turkey mixture and bake the stuffed squash). I still believe this is an easy weeknight meal to whip up!

First, depending on the size of the acorn squash you’ll need 2 or 3. The ones I found were HUGE so I bought 2 which makes 4 servings since they are cut in half and stuffed with the ground turkey filling.

Preheat your oven to 400°. Cut the acorn squash in half and spoon out the seeds. Brush the inside of each squash half with avocado oil (or olive oil), season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of brown sugar per half. To me, brown sugar is just one of those iconic Fall flavors that help give this recipe a subtle hint of sweet along with all the savory goodness. Once these are seasoned and good to go, pop them in the oven until tender. This should take about 30 minutes, depending on your oven. They should be fork tender before taking them out.

Here is what the finished squash looks like. You can see in the picture of tiny little pool of liquidy brown sugar has formed in the bottom of each squash. Can you even imagine how good this is going to taste with perfectly seasoned ground turkey???

While the squash is cooking, it’s time to prepare the turkey. Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a saute pan. Once the oil is hot, add lean ground turkey and brown until fully cooked. Season the ground turkey with salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg and freshly chopped sage. Ground sage is a good substitution but nothing really beats fresh herbs. Once the turkey is cooked and seasoned, add 1 cup of chicken broth and 2 cups of brown rice.

My absolute favorite brown rice short cut is the frozen organic brown rice from Trader Joe’s. This drastically reduces prep time for any recipe using brown rice as it only takes 3 minutes in the microwave! You’re also more than welcome to cook the brown rice on the stovetop if you’re just not that into microwaves. Once you’ve cooked the rice, you just open the bag and add it to the turkey mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water) to thicken the mixture just a bit.

The next step really takes the recipe to that next level of festive deliciousness. Nothing embodies fall and Thanksgiving more than cranberries! Once the mixture has thickened enough, add a half cup of fresh cranberries. I had some in my freezer from last year, so I tossed some of those in since they end to be a seasonal find at the grocery store, but you can also find them year round in the frozen food section. Once those are just tender, you’re ready to add the turkey mixture to your squash! Fill each squash with a heaping scoop until you’ve used all of it. My final touch is optional, but I think it’s worth it for the contrast of texture and for the eye appeal. I’m a little over the top like that though. Not only do I want the food to taste amazing, but I sure as heck want it to look pretty on the plate….ya know, so i can take a photograph and post it to my Instagram story!

Melt about 1 tablespoon or so of butter. I love the Kerrygold grass fed butter…and let’s be honest a little butter never hurt anyone. A little. I said a LITTLE. Once the butter melts, add 2 tablespoons of whole wheat bread crumbs and stir around until it’s all mixed up in a yummy, buttery, crumbly little topping. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over each of the stuffed squash and then put back into the oven for about 10 minutes, just until everything is heated throughout and crispy.

Finally, get that meal on the table and pretend it’s Thanksgiving! The kicker is this meal won’t make you feel guilty or tired! These taste amazing reheated so definitely feel free to double the recipe so you have some leftovers. Having leftovers in the fridge is the key to making good decisions for a healthy week!

Ingredients

Avocado Oil 2-3 acorn squash (depending on size) 1 lb lean ground turkey 2 cups cooked brown rice 1 cup low sodium chicken broth ½ c fresh or frozen cranberries 1 Tbsp fresh chopped sage 1 Tbsp cornstarch (mixed with 2 Tbsp water) 1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground allspice ½ tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsp kosher salt 1 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp whole wheat breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  Cut acorn squash in half, spoon out seeds and discard the seeds.  Place acorn squash on a cookie sheet and drizzle with avocado oil. Season each half with salt & pepper and brown sugar.  Roast in oven for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. While the squash is roasting, heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a saute pan.  Once the oil is hot, add the lean ground turkey. Brown turkey until fully cooked.  Season turkey with sage, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, garlic and onion powder. Season additionally with salt & pepper to taste.
3. Add cooked brown rice and chicken broth.  Bring to boil. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat, add cornstarch & water mixture and simmer until thickened.  Finally, stir in cranberries and cook 1-2 minutes until the cranberries are tender.
4. Divide the turkey mixture amongst the squash halves.
5. Saute butter until melted.  Add whole wheat breadcrumb until toasted.  1-2 minutes.
6. Sprinkle toasted breadcrumb on ground turkey stuffed squash and bake in oven for 10 minutes until heated through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.