Indulge in a wildly delicious and nutritious side dish this holiday season. This recipe for stuffed squash features a flavorful filling of einkorn wheat berries, earthy mushrooms and fragrant herbs in roasted acorn squash. For a stress-free Thanksgiving, you can even prepare these squash a day ahead and refrigerate. Simply reheat in the oven when ready to serve! If you haven’t discovered wheat berries, this is a perfect introduction. Wheat berries are a nutritious grain that cooks like rice and has a sweet, nutty flavor. Each serving of Jovial einkorn (an ancient grain!) wheat berries contains 8 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and loads of B vitamins. This side dish can’t be beat in taste, presentation or nutritional value.
Stuffed Squash With Einkorn Wheat Berries
Ingredients
- 4 small acorn squashes halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1/3 cup Jovial Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus more to brush
- 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 large shallots)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms coarsely chopped
- 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt plus more to season
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper plus more to season
- 1-1/2 cups Jovial Einkorn Wheat Berries
- 2 cups vegetable stock chicken stock or bone broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley plus more to garnish
- 1/3 cup currants optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.
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Brush cut sides of acorn squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. On prepped baking sheet, arrange squash cut-side down; roast about 20 minutes, until just tender.
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While squash roasts, in large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
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Add mushrooms, coriander, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 6-8 minutes, until mushrooms soften and brown. Fold in einkorn wheat berries and toss to coat.
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To saucepan, add broth/stock and 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 30-35 minutes, until wheat berries are tender but still firm to the tooth.
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Remove from heat, stir in parsley and currants, if using; taste and adjust salt and pepper..
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On sheet pan, turn squash cut-sides up and fill with stuffing. Set in oven to warm, 5-10 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with parsley.