Stuffed Acorn Squash

It's officially fall here at Vanderbilt and this weekend students welcome the much-needed four-day break that we get every mid-October. Fall break is a chance for students to catch up on studies and rest as we prepare for the second half of the fall semester. Although I am staying on campus for fall break this year, I decided to use it as an opportunity to create a "feature ingredient" recipe for this week. This week's recipe features an acorn squash purchased for $1.00 at The Vanderbilt Farmer's Market, which I highly recommend that you visit. The breakfast patties may be purchased at Varsity Marketplace and all other ingredients may be purchased in Varsity Morgan, Varsity Towers, or Varsity Marketplace. Based upon the calculated cost per serving of each ingredient, this hearty, fall dish will cost you $6.58 or $3.29 per serving. This does not include the cost of salt and pepper.

Stuffed Acorn Squash
Yield: 2 servings (half acorn squash with stuffing)
Total Cost: $6.58

• 4 slices (2 cups) honey wheat bread
• 1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 acorn squash
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 apple, diced
• 2 Morningstar Farms breakfast patties, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons cup applesauce

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice bread into 1/2-inch cubes and toss with melted butter. Spread cubes on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Dice apple into small pieces and set aside.

Slice the acorn squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Season with salt and pepper. Place the squash, cut side down, in a glass baking dish. Add about a 1/2-inch of boiling water in the bottom of the dish and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until soft. 

Meanwhile, heat apple juice and butter in frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced apple and breakfast patties. Saute for 5 minutes or until apples begin to soften. Use a spatula to crumble the breakfast patties. Add the honey, maple syrup, and raisins to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. 

Remove the mixture from the heat and toss with the bread and applesauce until well moistened. If needed, add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the squash halves with the mixture and place cut side up in the glass baking dish. Make sure that all excess moisture has been removed from the dish. 

Bake for 20 minutes, until the filling begins to set up and is golden on top. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Reviews 
 "Very seasonally festive."
 "Better than acorn, better than squash."
"So good I even ate the skin!"