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Rosemary Pork, Kale and Brown Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

Name: Rosemary Pork, Kale and Brown Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash
Total time: 1 HOUR
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 ea Acorn Squash; 1 lbs Pork, Ground; 1 cup Kale, Diced; 1 cup Brown Rice, Cooked; ¾ cup Onion, Diced; 2 tsp Litehouse® Freeze Dried Sage; 4 tbsp Litehouse® Organic Rosemary Balsamic Vinaigrette, divided; 1 tsp Rosemary; ½ tsp Salt; ¼ tsp Black Pepper; ¼ tsp Breadcrumbs; 2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese

November 24, 2015 Emily Roemmich

1 HOUR

Serves: 4

Brushing squash for Rosemary Pork, Kale and Brown Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is one of my favorite times of year- when the grocery stores get stocked with in-season apples and winter squash! Acorn squash is on of the most nutrient-dense squash varieties and it is packed with fiber and vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A among others. I love that acorn squash is a little sweet and it’s almost like a dessert when topped with cinnamon and brown sugar!

Acorn squash is the perfect size to fill with a stuffing mixture and is ideal for entertaining guests, because everyone get’s their own personal stuffed acorn squash. Also, baking acorn squash really is fool-proof and that helps when you are baking larger quantities for guests.

Pork and rosemary is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I haven’t been cooking with pork until recently when I realized the versatility and cost-effectiveness of it! Growing up, we would have thin pork chops that would be way over-cooked. Maybe you grew up with overcooked pork as well, but the good news is that FoodSafety.gov reduced the cooking time of pork several years ago because pork production is much safer. You can now cook your pork to an internal temperature of 145°F. It can even be a little pink! This means you will really get to enjoy the flavor of pork now.

Litehouse has delicious new Organic and non-GMO dressing flavors that I have been enjoying. Before cooking this acorn squash, I brushed the halves with a little bit of Litehouse Balsamic Vinaigrette and baked until golden brown.

Pork, rosemary, sage, kale, onion and brown rice is the perfect mixture of flavors and smells and when it’s stuffed in slightly sweet acorn squash, it is the comfort food at it’s finest (but healthy)!

This recipe is on my menu when I’m entertaining guests next time because it is so easy. I am thinking about even adding it to my Thanksgiving menu!

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Rosemary Pork, Kale and Brown Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

November 24, 2015 Emily Roemmich

1 HOUR

Serves: 4

Stuffed acorn squash is the perfect dish for entertaining during the winter months. This recipe is full of flavor with the rosemary and sage!

Preparing a tray of Rosemary Pork, Kale and Brown Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

2 eaAcorn Squash
1 lbsPork, Ground
1 cupKale, Diced
1 cupBrown Rice, Cooked
¾ cupOnion, Diced
2 tspLitehouse® Freeze Dried Sage
4 tbsp Litehouse® Organic Rosemary Balsamic Vinaigrette, divided
1 tspRosemary
½ tspSalt
¼ tspBlack Pepper
¼ tspBreadcrumbs
2 tbspParmesan Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.Cut the acorn squash down the middle, through the stem.Brush each half with 2 tablespoons of the Balsamic Vinaigrette.Turn over and bake with the cut side down for 40 minutes.Meanwhile, brown the pork in a pan over medium heat. Set aside.In the same pan, sauté the onion, kale, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper for 3-4 minutes.Add the brown rice and 2 tablespoons Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette. Cook for 3-4 minutes more.After the acorn squash has finished cooking, turn them over and fill them with the pork mixture, divided between the four halves.In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Top the stuffed acorn squash with the breadcrumb mixture.Broil on high for 2 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are brown.