Roasted Squash

Roasted Squash

This is not a Paleo dish, however it could be a Primal dish if you substitute mushrooms for the beans and use ground almond, crushed almond and crushed pine nuts for the breadcumbs – enjoy! Thanks to my sister for this one 🙂

• 2 small squash, halved and seeds scooped out (you can save them and roast them for snacking!)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• extra-virgin olive oil
• *(1 15-oz can small white beans (such as butter beans), drained and rinsed) Substitute mushrooms for beans
• about 4 large handfuls greens – baby spinach, chopped chard, chopped collards, etc. – washed and spun dry
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
• *(1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs) Substitute ground almond and crushed almond and pine nuts for the breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Directions
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash halves (cut side up) on a sheet pan or in a baking dish. Drizzle the surfaces with some olive oil, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife or fork, about 1 hour. Remove the squash halves from the oven and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, make your filling: heat a little extra-virgin olive oil (about 1-2 Tbsp) in a saute pan over medium heat until hot, then add the minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the greens and saute until wilted. *Now add your drained, rinsed white beans and continue cooking the mixture until the beans are heated through* or add mushrooms already softened in butter. Stir in the chopped fresh sage, season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Now you’ll fill the squash halves: first, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed and ground nuts (breadcrumbs*) and grated parmesan cheese. When the mushroom and green mixture has cooled slightly, stir half of the breadcrumb mixture into it — this will help bind the filling together slightly. Divide this filling mixture between the cooked squash halves, mounding it in each.*
5. Sprinkle the remaining crushed nuts (breadcrumb*) and cheese mixture over the top of the filled squash halves. Drizzle some olive oil over the top of each squash half. Return the pan to the oven and bake the squash halves until the topping is golden, about another 15 minutes or so (check a little bit before so the topping doesn’t burn.
6. Serves 4.
7. If you have any filling mixture left over, it makes a great lunch dish: spread it in an individual gratin dish, top with another dusting of nuts (breadcrumbs) and parmesan cheese, drizzle some olive oil over the top, and bake in a 425 degree F oven until the topping is golden. It’s great by itself or spooned onto some savoury paleo pancakes – yum!