It’s been one of those weeks. Daily appointments and commitments. The kind of week that truly makes you wonder how you were able to function while adding a full time job to the mix.

While scanning a magazine in a waiting room, I came across a recipe for stuffed butternut squash. Seemed a little big and heavy for the two of us, but it reminded me of the acorn squash stuffed with leftovers that I blogged last year. I revisited the blog post and recreated the dish. This time with leftover steak, sautéed onions, corn and cheddar cheese. Salsa, sour cream, and diced spring onions as garnish. It was simple to toss together, and used up the leftovers in the refrigerator.

I’m going to repost the original blog here because it deserves a reprise. The point being that it’s the season for acorn squash, and almost any leftovers would work.

A single small acorn squash stuffed with a few leftovers can produce a really good meal for two. The trick is to cook the squash until it’s soft before you stuff it. I used a combination of leftovers that I had in the refrigerator. Cooked chicken, kale sautéed with garlic, corn, mashed potatoes and cauliflower. There wasn’t much of any one thing, but combined, there was plenty to stuff the squash halves.

Method:

1. Cut an acorn squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and put the halves, cut side down, into a pan. Add about 1/4 inch of hot water, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 375 oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the interior is soft.
2. Spill out the water and turn the squash over. Brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Stuff with any cooked items that you have on hand. Leftovers are great for this. You could also used cooked hamburger and onions and rice, or, thinking ahead, leftovers from a turkey dinner. The good thing about stuffing the squash with cooked food is that you can taste for seasoning until you’re satisfied with the result. Stuff the cavity and pile up extra on top.
4. Top with shredded cheese and cover loosely with foil. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes until the filling is hot.
5. Top with a bit of extra cheese. Maybe some sour cream. Or salsa.

We were actually surprised at how good this was. There’s something to be said for being able to turn a few random leftovers into a really good meal.