Baked Acorn Squash
Halloween was only last week and yet I have been inundated with ideas on what to serve at Thanksgiving in mail, magazines, reality TV, and of course blogs. OMG the pressure to find the perfect vegetable to serve! Okay, just kidding. No pressure here… but when I went to Whole Foods I found a heaping mass of pumpkins, gourds, and a variety of winter squashes, at which I stopped counting when I hit the number 14.
Acorn Squash – bright green with splotches of yellow – firm to the touch and smooth skin
Acorn squash is a small winter squash shaped like an acorn, and usually weighs between 1 and 2 pounds each. It’s orange-colored flesh offers a mild sweet flavor and is an excellent source of fiber and rich in Vitamin C and potassium (contains almost double the potassium found in an average banana.)
Using sharp knife “saw” back and forth as squash is very solid.
Using a serrated knife it can be easily cut into two halves – remove the seeds and scoop out any stringy clumps.
Cut the bacon into 4 pieces and add one to each squash cavity
I add a small piece of bacon to the cavity of each half – set into baking dish, and add about an inch of water, to keep the squash from drying out while baking.
Remove bacon and add brown sugar to each half
Remove bacon, score each half, and add the brown sugar.
Ingredients:
2 Acorn Squash – cut in half 1 strip of bacon, cut into 4 pieces 3 Tbl of dark brown sugar Sea SaltMethod:
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut squash in half using a serrated knife – saw back and forth as the squash is quite solid.
- Scoop out seeds and any stringy clumps, place in baking dish and add the strips of bacon in each half and an inch of water to dish. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and discard the bacon – if you get a lot of bacon drippings remove some of it, otherwise leave as is. Score each half in criss-cross manner, sprinkle a bit of sea salt over them, and drop in 2 tsp. of brown sugar into each cavity.
- Return to oven for another 20-30 minutes until the brown sugar has carmelized and the squash is tender.
Yield: 4 servings
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- Stuffed Acorn Squash All’Amatriciana (cucinaceri.com)
canapesandchocolate.com 
I always use brown sugar when I bake acorn squash, but I have never tried bacon. That sounds yummy. I would make acorn squash often if I could actually cut it. I have to have my husband cut it before he goes to work in the morning. I usually forget to ask him, so I don’t buy it very often. Same thing with butternut squash. Wish they would cut it for me in the store.
Thanks Susan – I know cutting the squash can be the biggest challenge to the recipe! Thanks for your support and following me – I am now a follower on your site too.