This is a guest post by Lindsay Ostrom with the blog Pinch of Yum. Lindsay is a former 4th grade teacher turned full-time food blogger with a love for spicy food, noodles, and dark chocolate. In addition to sharing simple and mostly healthy recipes on her blog, Lindsay and her husband Bjork are also co-founders of Food Blogger Pro, a learning community where food bloggers can discover how to grow and monetize their blogs.
Hey everybody! My name is Lindsay, and I have a food blog called Pinch of Yum. And how excited am I to be posting on 100 Days of Real Food today? SUPER excited! I’m a huge fan of Jason and Lisa and their real food lifestyle.
Today I wanted to share a recipe with you that might be useful as we come up on farmers market season. This Roasted Corn and Quinoa Stuffed Squash recipe has lots of fresh produce, and it can be adapted based on whatever you might have on hand. And if you are a person who likes to cook your own black beans rather than using canned, now is the time! I made a bunch of spicy black beans in my slow cooker the day before I made this recipe, and the flavor of the homemade beans with the quinoa, cheese, and spices took this recipe from yummy to YUMMMMMMY.
This is one of those recipes where you probably have everything you need in the pantry, fridge, or freezer already, which is extra wonderful in the summer.
Bring on the Roasted Corn and Quinoa Stuffed Squash!
Roasted Corn and Quinoa Stuffed Squash
Ingredients
- 3 acorn squash, small
- 3/4 cup quinoa, red, uncooked
- 3/4 cup corn, kernels
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups black beans, cooked
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, divided
Toppings
- queso fresco
- crema Mexicana
- green onions, sliced
Instructions
Squash
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place face down in a baking pan, cover halfway with water, and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the squash is tender.
Filling
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Meanwhile, prepare the quinoa according to package directions.
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Place the corn in a dry non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and let the corn pan roast for 3-4 minutes. Stir a few times until the corn is golden brown.
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Add the cooked quinoa, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir for 4-5 minutes over high heat.
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Add the black beans and stir for another 4-5 minutes over high heat.
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Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup cheddar cheese.
Assembly
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Turn on the oven broiler (or just turn the temp to 400). Divide the filling evenly among the six cooked squash halves.
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Top each with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
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Top each squash piece with crumbled queso fresco, crema Mexicana, and green onions.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Cooking the quinoa a day in advance makes it easier to work with in the skillet because it's not so sticky.
I used spicy homemade black beans that were made with garlic, onion, and lots of hot peppers. If you are using canned beans, you might want to consider adding some sautéed onion, garlic, or jalapeño to the quinoa black bean mixture.
If you’re worried about damaging your pan by pan roasting the corn, you can add a little bit of oil. I always just find it easier to get that nice browning without the oil, but I also know that sometimes the browning doesn’t wash out of others’ pans as easily as it washes out of mine, and I wouldn’t want anyone to damage their pan in the process!
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My two favorite bloggers, united! Yay!
This recipe sounds awesome, can’t wait to try. :)
Looks yum :-) I’ve never cooked corn that way– was thinking it would work well on the cast iron skillet? I bet this would be an awesome early fall dish– sounds hearty and warming.
Hi. Let us know how the cast iron works.
made this tonight for supper – with 8-ball zucchini instead and added the zucchini pulp (ground in the food processor) to the stuffing. It was delicious! Thanks!
Beautiful recipe! I love stuffed squash and never thought about stuffing it with black beans. Can’t wait to try this recipe with my farmer’s market ingredients. Thanks for the special guest blog post!
Totally unrelated, I was in Target a few days ago and spotted Smucker’s new Fruit and Honey spread. I was so excited! Sweetened with only honey! I can’t wait to be able to shop one day at major food chains and buy foods with a “100 Days of Real Food” Approved label on it. Make it happen! :)
I recognized the picture before you even introduced the guest blogger. Pinch of Yum recipes are a staple in our kitchen at home. Love the creativity and passion for good simple food.
Hi Lindsay, Lisa & Jason,
First of all thanks to all 3 of you for sharing wonderful, healthy recipes. I haven’t acknowledged before, but I have cooked quite a few of your recipes and it has been enjoyed by family & friends.
Well i have a question for Lindsay regarding steaming/roasting of the squash. When you say place the water in the baking pan, is it the same one in which you place your squash or another cup of water to make some steam? Could you clear it up for me please??
Thank you once again, and hoping to cook more of your creations.
I like hers recipes very much :)
When I do not know what to do for dinner, I always reach for her blog :)
Any thoughts on making the recipe dairy free?
Hi. I just leave out the cheese. ;)
I have always stuffed sweet potatoes but never thought to do squash! Cannot wait to try this recipe, thanks Lindsay for sharing it!