Growing up my mother always cooked squash. I remember eating butternut squash smothered in butter and brown sugar, baked until golden and gooey. As we grew more sophisticated in our tastes spaghetti squash showed up on our plates that my mother tried to pass off as 'spaghetti' but we knew better. I just discovered delicate squash - I am now in love -- it is one of the tastiest of the winter squash, with flavours of sweet potatoes and corn and the skin is edible too so no need to peel them. I think it’s just about the perfect fall veggie.
Everything I love to eat is stuffed into this squash.
Roasted Delicata Stuffed Squash with Tahini Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients for squash and stuffing:
- 2 delicate squash, washed and cut in half, remove seeds
- 2 tablespoons za'atar
- 2 cups beans, drained and rinsed well, ( I used cannellini beans)
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 cups of kale, ( take out middle stem and chop, I used purple kale but you could use any variety)
- 1 to 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup quinoa or rice, cooked
- salt and pepper to taste
- pomegranate seeds, for garnish
- pomegranate molasses to drizzle (here is my recipe to make your own)
Ingredients for the Tahini Sauce:
- 1/4 cup tahini paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, (I used my garlic press)
- salt and pepper to taste
- water to thin out, start with a 1/4 of a cup
Directions for the squash and stuffing:
- Preheat oven to 400° .
- On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, or a glass pyrex place squash cut side up, and drizzle with olive oil, salt the za'atar.
- Place in oven and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until squash is ready. Remove from oven and set aside.
- I like to start preparing the filling while the squash is baking in the oven. First cook the quinoa or rice following the package directions. You will need a 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa or rice.
- Then in a large skillet add the olive oil, shallots and garlic and sauté until soft. Add the cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Then add the chopped kale and cook until slightly wilted. Add in the beans and quinoa and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings
- Stuff each squash half with about 1/2 cup of the stuffing, depending on the size of your squash.
- Serve warm or with the tahini sauce, pomegranate molasses and pomegranate seeds on top. Feel free to add a dash of extra za'atar on top too.
Directions for the Tahini Sauce:
- Place all ingredients in a small bowl , and mix with a fork until well combined. Gradually stir in small amounts of additional water until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
Cooks Notes:
- This recipe works well with any beans, try chickpeas or white kidney beans.
- You could also use swiss chard or spinach in place of the kale.
- I like to make my own pomegranate molasses as the store bought ones are make with lots of sugar, mine is sweetnend with honey. Though I do keep a store bought bottle on hand when I don't have time to make my own. Here is my recipe.
- The tahini sauce can thicken up if not used right away, thin out with a little water or some lemon juice if it becomes to thick.