Unstuffed Delicata Squash + Pork Bowls with Dukkah and Balsamic Tahini
9 COLORSTHE WHY BEHIND THE RECIPE
The idea of a stuffed squash is cute and fun, but they never end up turning out great for me and can be challenging to eat. I prefer an unstuffed squash bowl, so there is more surface area for my sauces, seeds, and flavors to meld together. It’s easier to zhuzh!
This recipe makes also the most of those squash seeds by turning them into a simple, flavorful dukkah that you can then toss on other meals too.
This recipe is higher carb than some of my other recipes, and it took me awhile to learn to have a positive relationships with carbs, so let me briefly explain a few things on carbs:
Role of carbs: Carbs play a very important role in maintaining essential systems in the body, like our brains and nervous system! Different foods contain carbs in different forms, and some forms are more rapidly digested and absorbed (leading to blood sugar spikes) than others. Refined and processed carbs = rapidly digested. Complex carbs = more slowly digested.
Fruits and veggies also have carbs!: Fruits and veggies are complex carbs, meaning they also have fiber and other vitamins. Lentils, beans, broccoli, cabbage, and root vegetables are great sources of carbs. In this recipe, the apple and the squash are sources of complex carbs.
Carbs and blood sugar: Complex carbs take longer to digest (because of their fiber and nutrients) and provide more sustained energy, however they can still cause a rise in blood sugar. The best thing to do (with all carbs) is pair them with fat, fiber and protein to slow the absorption into your bloodstream. That’s why in this recipe we’ve got protein and fat from the pork and tahini, and fiber from the greens, mushrooms, and dukkah.
Movement after meals: Moving your body is one of the most effective and healthy ways to lower your blood sugar after a meal. ****This is a great meal to get a little movement in after - whether it’s a walk around the block or dancing in your kitchen and doing some air squats as you clean up.
Don’t be afraid of complex carbs! The “low carb” movement has made many (even me for awhile!) scared of carbs. Complex carbs and whole grains are an important source of fuel for your body and can absolutely be part of a healthy balanced diet, especially when eaten and paired with veggies, healthy fats, fiber, and protein - like in this recipe!
Okay now let’s get into the recipe!!
Yields: 3 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED
FOR ROASTING/SHEET PAN INGREDIENTS
1 large delicata squash, cut in half, seeds removed, then sliced into 1/4 inch think pieces
keep the seeds on the side, we will roast those too!
1 apple, sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces (ideally chopped around the same size as the delicata squash)
1 small fennel bulb, sliced (in similar size as squash and apple)
1 lb mixed mushrooms
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (do 1 tsp if you want it super spicy, 1/2 tsp if you want medium spice, and no cayenne if you are spice sensitive)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cinnamon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
FOR STOVETOP
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground pork or Italian sausage removed from casing
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1 bunch of kale, trimmed and finely chopped
FOR TOPPING
Pomegranate seeds
Fronds from the fennel
Squash seed dukkah (see below)
Balsamic tahini dressing (see below)
Squash seed dukkah
roasted squash seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup pecans (can also throw these on the pan to roast them too if you’d like!)
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
Balsamic tahini dressing
1/2 cup tahini
I like the 365 organic tahini, seed + mill organic tahini, and once again organic tahini.
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 lemon squeezed, or 2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup filtered water
Pinch of kosher salt
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
1 large sheet pan and one small sheet pan - I use Caraway since it has non-toxic coating and I don’t want forever chemicals in my body!!
Frying pan - I love Caraway, Lodge Cast-Iron and Le Creuset
Measuring spoons and measuring cups
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl or blender (for the dressing)
Cutting board - I firmly believe cooking is more fun with a big-ass cutting board, I love my Boos Edge Grain board
If you have some plastic cutting boards laying around, good excuse to toss those and replace with a wooden cutting board to avoid microplastics!
HOW TO DO IT
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine all sheet pan ingredients into a large bowl and toss with cayenne pepper, paprika cinnamon, olive oil and salt. Don’t throw away the squash seeds, we will use those in the next step! Set a timer for 18 minutes and check at 18 minutes to see if squash is tender. You may need to put it in for 5-10 minutes more pending the size of your squash. Take out when squash is tender.
Try and get as much of the squash gunk (is there a formal term here? idk) off the seeds. Then, in a small bowl, toss squash seeds with sesame seeds and a dash of olive oil. Put on a separate sheet pan and roast for 7-9 minutes. You can roast them a few more minutes if you want them really roasted, but check to ensure they don’t burn because seeds go from toasted to burnt quickly!
In the meantime while things are roasting, get out a medium size fry pan and saute your minced garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add in the pork, red pepper flakes, and paprika and 1 tbsp water and stir until sauted and cooked through. Set pork aside.
In the same pan, in the leftover pork juices, add 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp olive oil and saute the kale until the greens are bright and tender but not overly wilted. About 5 minutes but will depend on kind of kale you use, Set aside.
In a food processor, combine the roasted squash seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, coriander, cumin, black pepper and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Transfer the dukkah to a small bowl. You’ll have leftovers you can use for another dish!
For the dressing, you can mix all ingredients together well into a bowl or put into a small blender.
Combine all into a bowl and ta-da - unstuffed squash! Top with pomegranate seeds, dukkah, fennel fronds and dressing!
SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS
Spice level: If you are not a fan of spice, skip the cayenne pepper entirely and scale back on the red pepper flakes in the pork.
Vegetarian or Vegan: Swap pork for tofu!
Toppings: You don’t need to do pomegranate seeds, dukkah and the dressing. If you are short on time, just make the dressing!
Nutritional Info
Per serving, makes about 3 servings
Calories: 920
Carbohydrates: 56g
Fiber: 19g
Net carbs: 27g
Protein: 43g
Fat: 60g
Sodium: 1080mg
Sugar: 18g
This is from the natural sugars from the apples and squash!
