Moroccan Lamb Stuffed Squash

I’m very excited to share this recipe for a number of reasons, but mostly because it’s one of my favorite fall and winter dinners EVER. It’s comforting and hearty, and a great way to turn a humble acorn squash into a delicious and really different dinner. This is one gets serious thumbs up from my friends whenever I make it, and that’s a pretty good measure to me.

The lamb is cooked with traditional Moroccan spices- cinnamon, paprika, and cumin- and studded with fresh mint, pine nuts and dates.  The blend of savory, spicy and sweet flavors, as well as the different temperatures and textures, is what really makes this recipe a winner.

Acorn squash can be pretty bland and a little stringy, but roasting it at a high temperature and then stuffing it with lamb makes it the least boring vegetable you’ve ever had. Topping each squash with a big dollop of yogurt, pomegranate seeds and mint doesn’t hurt, either.

This is a great recipe to make for a holiday dinner- there’s something so pretty and festive about these little squashes, and they’re really easy to make. (And, sound the alarm, this recipe is totally gluten-free!) You can even assemble everything ahead of time to keep things simple. Just roast the squash and make the lamb mixture before anyone arrives, and set the stuffed squashes aside until dinner. Then pop them back in the oven about fifteen minutes before you want everyone to sit down. All you need is a simple salad on the side and a big glass of wine, and you’re good to go! Happy holiday cooking!

Print Recipe

4.13 from 8 votes

Moroccan Lamb Stuffed Squash

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 small acorn squash (about 1¼ pounds each)
• 1½ cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 7 pitted dates, chopped
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons fresh mint, plus more for serving
• 1 (7-ounce) container plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt, such as Fage
• 1 tablespoon fresh pomegranate seeds
• Kosher salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Turn each squash on its side and slice an inch off the stem end, removing and discarding the stem. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds to create a cavity in each squash. Slice ¼-inch off the bottom end of each squash so that they sit, stem-side up, without wobbling.
• Place the squash on a sheet pan, stem side up. Brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon salt.  Roast for 40 minutes, until the flesh is tender when pierced with a paring knife.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, cinnamon, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Raise the heat to medium, and add the lamb and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, crumbling with the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add the tomato paste, dates, pine nuts, and the 3 tablespoons mint, and cook for 2 more minutes. Set aside.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 375. Using a soup spoon, scrape about two tablespoons of flesh from each squash (you should have ½ cup altogether) and add it to the sauté pan with the lamb. Mix to combine.
• Spoon the lamb filling into the hollowed out squashes, filling each one to the top.  Roast for 15 minutes, or until heated through. While the squash is cooking, combine the yogurt and ½ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Serve hot with a dollop of seasoned yogurt, the reserved mint, and the pomegranate seeds.

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