One of my favorite fall meetups with family and friends happens on crisp Saturday mornings at our local farmer’s market. I mean, is there anything more picturesque than the back of an antique pickup truck literally overflowing with green, white, orange, and yellow gourds? Only our grands hanging off the tailgate could improve that picture in my book.

And what’s not to love about the market? The aroma of hot coffee and cinnamon sugar donuts wafting from the side window of an Airstream turned food truck. Fall flowers gathered in craft paper cones just waiting to complete my cornucopia of seasonal, domestic charm. Bumping into old friends with pups on leashes. The morning’s pick of fresh, dewy lettuce.

My last stop finds me at our farmers’ co-op tent to pick up my preassigned wicker basket overflowing with this week’s seasonal harvest. Truth be told, I used to have a bit of a love/hate relationship with my co-op basket — always drawn in by the beauty and delicious possibilities found within, and at the same time fearing I wouldn’t recognize or know how to prepare the items, let alone plan a menu around them. Dominating this week’s basket were acorn, butternut, and spaghetti squash. One familiar: spaghetti. The other two — I hadn’t a clue. After a little back-and-forth banter with the farmers, I soon learned there were many ways to prepare all three. Fear subsided.

Upon returning home with my stash, I was curious about the difference between pumpkins, gourds, and squash. And why we don’t eat the pumpkins we carve or the gourds we place on our porches. A little internet sleuthing led me to discover all three are subcategories of the Cucurbitaceae family: fruits that stem from vining plants like cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, and, of course, pumpkins and squash. Gourds, however, are part of a different branch of that family and not grown for consumption but purely for decorative purposes. They have a thicker skin and less fleshy parts to eat. Think of pumpkins as a type of squash and gourds as inedible squash.

With this information, it was on to the eats! My harvest fully unpacked, I washed and laid out the acorn, butternut, and spaghetti squash on the countertop and flipped through a couple recipes before making a call to my cousin to bounce my ideas off her. With final selections in hand, it was time to get cooking.

I made a new discovery that Saturday. Not only are they healthy and delicious, but I’m also very excited to share that these growing miracles — all round and spherical — make a perfect one pot dinner. And they even come as their own cute little serving bowl. Enjoy.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage and Rice

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

3 acorn squash (halved, seeds scraped out)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

10 fresh sage leaves (rough chopped)

1 lb. Italian sausage

8 oz. white mushrooms (sliced)

1 shallot (diced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

6 fresh thyme stems (more for garnish)

1 box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain Rice^®

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 c. Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the rice according to package directions. Half the squash through the stem. Scrape out the seeds and fiber. Brush the insides with oil, then salt and pepper generously. Place squash halves on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes. Flip over and bake for another 15 minutes, or until very tender. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil along with the sage leaves. Cook for 30 seconds then add the sausage, breaking it apart into small pieces. Cook for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a small plate. In the same pan with the fond (French for the bits left in the pan), add mushrooms, garlic, and thyme. Sauté until translucent, about four to five minutes. Add the sausage back to the pan, along with the cooked rice and cream. Stir to combine well. Fill each acorn squash with mixture. Top with cheese and place the acorn halves back into the oven long enough to melt the cheese. Serve with fresh thyme leaves as a garnish.

—Tip from Laura

Always use a non-slip cutting board when slicing the gourds.

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Chicken, Quinoa, and Kale

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 large butternut squash

3 Tbsp. olive oil (divided)

3/4 c. uncooked quinoa

1-1/2 c. chicken broth

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 small onion (chopped)

1 stalk celery (sliced)

1 bunch kale (stems removed, chopped)

1 lb. ground chicken

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 orange (zested, plus juice)

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. feta cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve the squash through the stem. Scoop out seeds and fiber and move halves to a sheet pan. Brush the cut side with one teaspoon of oil per half. Salt and pepper generously. Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender. While squash is baking, cook quinoa in a covered pot according to package directions, swapping out the water for broth. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of oil, then garlic, onion, and celery. Sauté for three minutes, add the kale, and sauté for five more minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water, reduce heat, cover, and cook on low for five minutes. Transfer kale mixture to a plate. Over medium heat, add the ground chicken along with the spices. Sauté until no pink remains, about five minutes. Combine the kale mixture and quinoa to the skillet of ground chicken. Add the orange zest, juice, and cranberries, and heat through. Remove squash from oven to cool. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Leaving a one-inch border around the sides and bottom of the squash, scoop out the flesh with a large spoon and set aside. Divide the chicken, kale, and quinoa mixture between the squash bowls. Top with cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through. Cut into thirds and serve hot.

Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

3 spaghetti squash (cut in halves)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

28 oz. jar marinara

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning (heaping plus a little more)

1-1/2 c. mozzarella cheese (shredded)

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half from the stem. Scoop out seeds and discard. Brush the insides with olive oil and salt and pepper generously. Place the halves cut side down and bake for 35 minutes, or until you can pierce the sides with a fork. Meanwhile in a skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef until no pink remains, about five minutes. Add the marinara and the spices to the skillet and combine well. Salt and pepper as needed. When the squash is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool. When you can handle them, take a fork, and pull out the strands and add them to the marinara mixture. Stuff the shells, adding mozzarella cheese to the top. Garnish with a little more Italian seasoning, then bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts and filling is heated through.

—Tip from Laura

Add some pomegranate seeds for an extra pop of flavor.

Laura Schupp is the author of Our Newlywed Kitchen: The Art of Cooking, Gathering & Creating Traditions. Learn more about Laura at OurNewlywedKitchen.com.

These recipes originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of HomeLife Magazine. Take a look at our recipes featured in September to get recipe ideas for fall dip recipes.

The post HomeLife Recipes | Squash Recipes for Fall appeared first on Lifeway Women.

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