Stuffing Stuffed Acorn Squash

I was hankerin' for some pre-thanksgiving goodness and a nice fall meal....and these are what resulted.  I had some hamburger and acorn squash that both needed to get used up as well as 1/2 of a sweet yellow onion and some stalks of celery.  I searched on some of my favorite recipe sites but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I came up with something pretty basic, but OH SO TASTY!  The filling for the squash came out tasting like Thanksgiving stuffing (only a bit healthier--I think).  The flavors all blended together so nicely and it definitely hit the spot!



Stuffing Stuffed Acorn Squash

Here's the recipe I came up with for Stuffing Stuffed Acorn Squash (4 large servings):

-2 Med-Large Acorn Squash
-1-2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
-1/2-1 Sweet Yellow Onion/ chopped
-2 Celery stalks/ chopped
-1 lb Ground Beef (or turkey, or sausage...)
-8 Tbsp Flour
-1 tsp Ground Sage
-1 tsp Salt
-3 cups milk (I used plain almond milk and it tasted great)
-2 cups cooked Couscous (I used tri-color; it looks pretty with the squash and tastes good too)
-Sharp Cheddar Cheese for topping

1. Pre-cook the acorn squash.  There are 2 ways to do this;
OVEN=pierce whole acorn squash and cook in a pan for 30 Min's. 
Or
MICROWAVE=cut squash in halve and remove seeds and strings.  place cut-side down in dish with about 1/2 inch of water and microwave for 15-20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, heat a pan with 1-2 TBSP vegetable oil and cook onions until translucent.  Add chopped celery and ground beef until browned.  Drain mixture and return to pan.

3.  While meat is browning, mix flour, sage, salt and milk in a medium bowl.  Pour this mixture into the pan with the ground beef mixture.  Cook and stir frequently until it reaches a thick consistency.

4.  Stir the cooked rice into the mixture in the pan.  Spoon into acorn halves (you need to 'overfill' them) and top with cheese.

5.  Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.



In order to appropriately appreciate my accomplishment, you must understand that I am no culinary genius and am of the persuasion to ALWAYS follow a recipe.....EXACTLY.  That being said, this was an experiment that actually worked to my taste, but I welcome suggestions and comments on how YOU improved upon and prepared this recipe.  I can't wait to hear if anyone else likes this recipe as much as I did!