One of my favorite winter squash to cook with are acorn squash. Aptly named because of their acorn-like appearance, their shape makes them perfect for stuffing, but also cooked and sliced into individual pieces or made into a puree or pie filling. For this scrumptious side dish for two, I halved an acorn squash, baked it until tender, then filled with a simple and creamy filling made with part-skim ricotta cheese mixed with a touch of fresh sage. A colorful topping of fresh watercress and sweet, dried cranberries rounds out this healthful baked squash dish.
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Baked Acorn Squash with Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients:
- 1 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- Fresh watercress
- Dried cranberries
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment or foil. Spray it with a touch of olive oil spray. Arrange the two halves of the cut squash on the baking sheet.
- Drizzle each half with a touch of olive oil (a mere 1/2 teaspoon should do) and season each with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.
- Mix the ricotta cheese with the sage in a small bowl, and season the filling with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a grinding of black pepper. Fill the cavity of each squash with half of this cheese mixture. Return the squash to the oven and cook for another 10 minutes or until the filling is warm.
- Top each cooked and stuffed squash with some fresh watercress and dried cranberries, and a touch more olive oil.
Tagged: acorn squash, acorn squash with ricotta cheese, baked squash, dried cranberries, ricotta cheese, sage, squash, stuffed acorn squash, stuffed squash, watercress, winter squash
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