Squash Stuffed With Dates and Onion

This is a refreshing change from the baby food preparation that too frequently befalls the hapless squash. It makes an impressive dish when sliced into wedges and surrounded by roasted veggies.

Step: 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step: 2

Cook and stir bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon and discard most of the drippings, leaving about 2 teaspoons bacon drippings in the skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Cook and stir onion in the hot drippings until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Step: 3

Stir cooked bacon, dates, oregano, and basil into onion; add chicken stock to thin the filling.

Step: 4

Cut the top and stem from the squash, jack o’lantern-style, and scoop out seeds and stringy pulp. Cut out and discard small button at the bottom of the squash. Stuff the date filling into the cavity and replace the top. Set squash into a baking dish, pour in 1/2 inch of water, and cover with aluminum foil.

Step: 5

Bake in the preheated oven until squash is tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour. Test for doneness by removing top and inserting a thin, sharp knife into the flesh at the bottom. Slice squash into wedges to serve.

Per Serving: 232 calories; protein 5.5g; carbohydrates 53.8g; fat 2.3g; cholesterol 5mg; sodium 137.2mg.

One of most clear way to pick a side dish is to look at your main dish (pasta, chicken, seared tofu) and pick something different. When you’re making pasta, go for a simple vegetable . Making steak? Go for something light. If you’re making stir-fry with rice, it must not a best idea to also make a rice salad.

This also can apply to cooking method . You don’t want to push more often your oven by scheduling three dishes at once in there, or be rounding four pans on the stovetop . But sometimes you can make a dish do double-duty .