This time of year I try to make a stuffed vegetable of some kind once a week. I realize I could do it year round but stuffed peppers don’t seem right in May (which is asparagus season).
Plus, the lovely Delicata squash is only available for a few months in the fall.
To be more specific, it’s only available if I grow it myself, and the season lasts as long as my harvest lasts.
When we first moved to France butternut squash were grown everywhere…. for pigs and poultry. Humans did not eat them. When the local farmer saw them in my potager he asked if I had turkeys or pigs.
That’s changed and butternut squash and pumpkins are now plentiful in the supermarkets and local produce markets. They are both still plentiful in the potagers of farmers who have turkeys and pigs, also…..
The smaller squashes have not made it here, yet. Acorn, Delicata, Sweet Dumpling are not for sale. I’ve grown them all myself, but this year my Sweet Dumpling seeds were lost in the first lock-down and my Acorn squash were mutants and produced nothing.
The 4 Delicata, on the other hand, produced a record 40 squashes…. ranging in size from 3 to 10 inches, with most being a more standard 7 – 8.
We’re eating as fast as we can….
Click here to Pin Delicata Squash, Stuffed with Ham & Ricotta
PrintDelicata Squash, Stuffed with Ham & Ricotta
We had this with rice, but small pasta or quinoa would be good – or just some good bread.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: One Dish Dinners
Ingredients
- 1 large delicata squash, or 2 small, cut in half, seeds removed
- 10oz (300gr) ham, cut into cubes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 – 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 3 tbs fresh, chopped parsley
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 tbs whole grain mustard
- 4oz (125gr) ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) white wine
- 1 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Place squash halves cut side down in a baking dish and bake in 400F (200C) oven for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté the onion for 10 minutes or until tender.
- Add ham, sage and sauté until ham starts to brown.
- Add paprika, parsley, and sauté briefly.
- Add mustard, ricotta, white wine, and stir to combine.
- Keep warm until needed.
- When squash are ready remove from oven, turn over and fill with the ham mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, until heated through.
Notes
Once filled the squash just need to be in the oven long enough heat through and blend flavors.
The white wine is used to thin the ricotta a bit – you could use chicken stock, apple cider or even just water.
Keywords: stuffed winter squash, delicata squash
We haven’t been doing much these last few months… pandemic and all.
The fairs and festivals that we would normally have gone to this summer were all cancelled. The summer markets were open, but about the time we felt comfortable going was right when the numbers of cases started going up again.
We stayed home.
The only thing we’ve been doing is riding our bikes.
Actually, we’ve been pretty happy just riding our bikes…..
The only photos I’ve taken all summer have been the dog, the potager and the canal.
This is my favorite boat on the canal:
It’s painted my favorite shade of blue and, even though you can’t really see them, the outside is filled with pots of flowers. It was on the opposite side of the canal so I couldn’t get a close-up. Plus there were people on it…. I try to be polite
It’s a pretty section of the canal with a lot of docking available.
It was another sunny, calm day – perfect for our ride.
I like the stuffing for this but again, I’d probably stuff tomatoes with it. Neither of us are squash eaters.
You didn’t say if you knew where the boats go. I imagine you get weather that’s not conducive to living on the water, so they must go somewhere warmer, yes?
Or you could add some spinach and pasta…..
I think most of the people use them as summer places, although some of them have wood stoves for heat. In Paris I think they are used as permanent living but not down here. I have no idea if they go out into the Med…. If I ever see a human on one I’ll ask.