Posted by Karen on September 28, 2009
Tagged with: collard greens, Delicata, kale, main course, vegetarian
At today’s pickup, there seemed to be quite a few people who weren’t familiar with Delicata squash. I found this recipe by Amy and it looks delicious – and as a bonus, it uses more greens! Visit Eggs on Sunday for more information about how this recipe was developed (scroll down to the bottom) and to see some beautiful photos of its preparation.
Roasted Delicata Squash Stuffed with White Beans, Garlic and Sage
- 2 delicata squash, halved and seeds scooped out
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 15-ounce can small white beans (such as navy beans), drained and rinsed
- about 4 large handfuls of greens – baby spinach, chopped chard, chopped collards, etc – washed and spun dry
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash halves (cut side up) on a sheet pan or in a baking dish. Drizzle the surface with some olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. While squash bakes, make the filling: heat 1-2 tablespoons olive opil in a saute pan over medium heat, then add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the greens and saute until wilted. Add the drained, rinsed beans and cook until the beans are heated through. Stir in the sage, seson to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Mix the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan in a small bowl. Stir half of this mixture into the beans-and-greens filling. Divide the filling evenly between the cooked squash halves.
4. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumb mixture over the top of the filled squash halves. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden, about another 15 minutes or so (check after 10 minutes so the topping doesn’t burn).
Makes 4 servings.
I made this for dinner tonight – with a few modifications – and it was yummy! The sweetness of the squash was really nice with the garlicky beans. To make the filling, I modified one of my favorite recipes – a White Bean Gratin with Garlic.
This would be a nice dish to make for a dinner party when you have vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests: it’s a good side dish for roasted chicken or pork, and you can serve it as an entree to the vegetarians (if they’re vegans, skip the butter -see below- and use olive oil).
So here’s what I did: Sort and rinse 3/4 cup of dried small white beans (navy or Great Northern), place in a medium pot and add water to cover by at least 2″. Separate the cloves of a head of garlic (do not peel them) and add them to the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
Remove the garlic cloves and set aside. Drain the beans and return to the pot. Peel the garlic cloves (or squish them out of the skins with your fingers) and put them into a small bowl. Smash the garlic with a fork and add a couple tablespoons of soft butter, salt and pepper to taste.
Using a rubber spatula, gently mix the garlic-butter paste into the beans. Add chopped arugula (about 2 cups), salt and pepper to taste. Add the breadcrumb-parmesan mixture as directed in the original recipe. If the mixture seems a little dry, add a splash of water or vermouth. Fill the squash halves, top with breadcrumb mixture and drizzle with a little melted butter (or olive oil). Bake as directed until the topping is browned; add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving.
Make-ahead notes: the beans and squash can be cooked a day ahead of time, cooled and kept covered in the fridge overnight. Finish making hte filling, stuff the squash and bake the next day. Alternatively, you can assemble the entire dish and keep it in the fridge overnight, covered. IWhen you reheat it the next day, increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes.