Baked Squash with Ground Pork and Cinnamon-Pear Stuffing

We all know that acorn squash makes perfect serving bowls. Scoop out the seeds, bake, and fill the cavities with delicious, sweet, savory, or spicy treats—or all three. While any kind of squash is normally stuffed with vegetable- or fruit-based dishes, adding meat turns a one-skillet meal into a one-squash meal. It’s easy, simple, and very tasty.

Since cinnamon and clove are the dominant aromatic spices in this recipe, I grated a fresh cinnamon stick and ground whole cloves to cook with the pear. You can easily substitute already ground spices—about one tablespoon of cinnamon and one-half teaspoon of cloves.

Freshly Grated Cinnamon and Ground Cloves

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 tsp unsalted butter, divided, plus more for buttering squash
• 1/4 cup panko, or other fine, dry breadcrumbs
• 1 large acorn squash, halved though the stem end, seeds removed
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves, ground (or 1/2 tsp ground cloves)
• 1 large red pear, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1 cinnamon stick, finely grated (or 1 tbsp ground cinnamon)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 large shallot, chopped

Squash, Pear, Shallot, and Aromatics

Diced Pear and Shallot

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of butter. Stir in the panko and continue to stir until slightly toasted, 2 minutes. Remove to a small bowl and set aside.

Toasted Panko for Topping

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rub the cut sides of the squash with a little butter and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on the baking sheet and bake until browned on the edges and tender when pierced with a fork, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven. Leave the oven on.

Squash Ready to Bake

Baked Squash

1. Meanwhile, heat the same skillet over medium-low heat and add 2 teaspoons of butter. When the butter has melted, add the cloves, pear, and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper.
2. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the pear has slightly softened, 20-22 minutes. Remove from the skillet to a bowl. Do not wipe out the skillet.

Pear Mixture Beginning to Cook

Cooked Pear Mixture

1. Heat the skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the pork and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the pork, until the meat is just cooked through and the shallot has softened, 10 minutes.

Pork and Shallot Beginning to Cook

Cooked Pork and Shallot

1. Return the pear mixture to the skillet and combine with the pork mixture. Turn the squash cut-side up on the baking sheet. Divide the skillet mixture and fill the cavities of the squash. Sprinkle each stuffed squash with the toasted panko.

Pear Returned to Skillet

Stuffed Squash with Panko Topping

1. Place in the oven and bake until browned on top and hot throughout, 4-5 minutes. 

Plate 1 stuffed squash on each of 2 plates and serve right away.