We’re firmly in winter squash season, and delicata squash is – as the name suggests – more delicate and slightly sweeter than other varieties.
It is also easier to work with because it cooks much faster than other squashes.
And how delicious does that look? And all it takes, is about an hour with your oven and your food processor. The filling resembles a peppery, green hummus, with the added crunch of chickpeas and a little panko.
Tip: If you cannot find wasabi greens (they are micro greens and I had a local variety, but I think you can usually buy them at Whole Foods), use a handful of peppery greens such as watercress or arugula, and add some (maybe half a teaspoon, for this volume) of fresh wasabi for that little bit of heat.
Stuffed delicata squash
(one squash serves two)
You’ll need:
- 1 delicata squash
- 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
- 2 t za’atar
- 2 oz wasabi greens
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 2 T olive oil + 1 T olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/3 cup grated cheese (a mild, light mozzarella or a parmesan work well here)
- a handful of panko breadcrumbs
- salt, pepper
1. Preheat oven to 365F. Cut squash in half lengthwise, trim the ends, and scoop out the seeds. Season well with salt and pepper and rub with about 1 T of olive oil.
Roast for about 20-25 minutes until just becoming tender.
2. In the meantime, make the filling. Combine wasabi greens, za’atar, a good pinch of salt, lemon juice, 2 T olive oil, and chickpeas in the food processor. Grind or chop (do not puree), I like to leave some chunks of chickpeas in there.
3. Fold in the yogurt into the ‘hummus’-like mixture and taste for seasoning.
4. Let roasted squash cool slightly to the touch. Layer grated or shredded cheese on the bottom of the scooped out squash, then fill generously with chickpea-greens mixture.
5. Sprinkle with panko and bake for about another 20 minutes until golden and fork-tender.
Karista says
How beautiful and delicious! I love anything delicata squash and this is a lovely twist to the usual. Yummy!!
saffronandhoney says
Thanks, Karista! I love all of your squash dishes 🙂
Choc Chip Uru says
Your stuffing makes squash look more delish than usual 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
saffronandhoney says
Thanks, Uru! I am a big fan of the stuffing as well.
Kara says
Looks delicious indeed!
saffronandhoney says
Thank you! I like your new logo:)
Chris says
Looks great, S&H! But what do you do with the seeds!?
saffronandhoney says
I scoop them out and toss them (step 1) 🙂
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen says
I’ll have to find a delicata squash to try this (don’t you love its name.. delicata, sounds so yummy!) xx
saffronandhoney says
You could use another kind of sweeter squash too, Smidge. Just adjust the baking times accordingly!
Three Well Beings says
This sounds wonderful. So frequently you introduce me to new ingredients. I’m not familiar with wasabi greens. How fun to find out more about them!
saffronandhoney says
Happy to help, Debra! I first came across them this summer, when I used them as an accompaniment to pulled pork.
Profiteroles & Ponytails says
I really like delica squash, but have only prepared it one way (roasted). Thanks for a great suggestion on how to make it!
saffronandhoney says
You’re very welcome!
cecilia says
Morning ksenia, this does look great, i love squash of any kind and the wasabe must be a great accent to these flavours. c
saffronandhoney says
Thank you, C! Glad you liked it. Hope all is going great on your travels x
yummychunklet says
Ooh, looks very tasty!
saffronandhoney says
Thanks!