Stuffed Onions (or you could use zucs and call them Stuffed Zucs)!
adapted from recipes from thejoyofcleaneating.com
and projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes
Baked Stuffed Onions (or Zucs)
Ingredients:
1 medium (about 2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled with a veggie peeler and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 T honey
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3 large (unpeeled) sweet onions, each about 4 inches across
1 cup (packed) baby spinach
4 ounces mushroom, small dice
1/3 c. low-sodium beef broth
4 ounces pork breakfast sausage (optional), such as Jimmy Dean Breakfast patties, broken into small pieces
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp basil or 1 T fresh basil, chopped (I used fresh cause it's growing out back.)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Scatter the squash cubes on the sheet. Drizzle them with the 2 tablespoons of the oil and the honey, then sprinkle them with the red pepper, dried sage and salt; toss to coat evenly. Roast for about 30 minutes, tossing them once or twice, until the squash is tender but not mushy. Let cool on the sheet while you prepare the onions; leave the oven on at 400 degrees.
Cut and discard a 1/2-inch-thick slice from the top of each onion. Trim just enough from the bottom of each onion so they can sit level. Peel the onions. Stand the onions on a cutting board. Use a melon baller to scoop out most of the insides of each onion, transferring the inside bits to a medium bowl.
Place the onions in the shallow baking pan, then pour 1/3 cup of the beef broth around them. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for for 25 to 30 minutes. The onions should be tender, but still firm enough to stuff and cook longer without falling apart. Transfer to the stovetop (off the heat) and keep covered.
Mix panko breadcrumbs and cheese in a small bowl. Set aside.
Coarsely chop about 1 1/2 cups of the onion insides. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender, then add the garlic, spinach, and sausage, if using; cook about 4 minutes, stirring often and using a wooden spoon to break up clumps, until the sausage is no longer pink. Season with the basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Add the cooked squash to the saute pan, stirring to combine. Stir in the breadcrumb and cheese mixture.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Uncover the roasted onions; stuff each one with about 1/2 cup of the stuffing mixture. Place the remaining mixture around each onion in the baking pan. Drizzle the onions with oil, re-cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
Notes:
This would probably be enough of a main meat poriton for 3 people. I might serve it with some egg noodles, or with a soup sidedish, or maybe a serve it with a sidedish of tomato/mozz/basil slices. Or serve it with a green salad and crunchy bread. That's what I did! The stuffing would be AWESOME in zucs, so you could cut a zuc long ways in half, scoop it out, add it to the saute, and then stuff and bake the zucchini boats! You could also just make this as a Thanksgiving stuffing/dressing, and add some craisins. It's delicious with the butternut squash!
Also, if you don't want to use breadcrumbs, you can use bulgur!
3 1/3 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat
After the sausage is cooked, add the bulgur, stir to coat evenly and cook for a minute or two. Add the remaining 3 cups of beef broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 to 30 minutes (depending on the grade of bulgur used) until tender. Then go on to adding the squash, etc. The time it takes to cook the bulgur depends on which grade you use: quick-cooking (Grade 1) will take less time than Grade 4.
