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Stuffed butternut squash with spinach, bacon and cheese is a perfect recipe to make in the fall and winter. The stuffing is creamy and cheesy and pairs well with the sweet flavor of the butternut squash. This gluten-free recipe is great for an easy weeknight meal.
Butternut Squash
2 medium butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Spinach, Bacon and Cheese Mixture
1 tablespoon avocado oil
6 oz fresh spinach
8 oz dairy-free cream cheese
1 cup dairy-free parmesan cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh thyme
How to roast butternut squash: *Preheat oven to 400 F.
*Slice each butternut squash in half lengthwise. Keep fingers away from the knife to avoid injury. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and fleshy strands tangled with the seeds.
*Place butternut squash cut sides up on a baking sheet. Drizzle the cut sides of butternut squash with avocado oil and rub the oil into the squash. Season generously with salt and pepper. Turn the squash over, and place it cut side down on baking sheet.
*Roast in the preheated oven at 400 F for 40 minutes.
Make spinach, bacon and cheese mixture: *While the butternut squash is roasting, prepare the cheese mixture.
*In a medium skillet, heat avocado oil on medium heat and add fresh spinach. Cook for about five minutes until the spinach wilts. If there is any liquid in the pan, drain it.
*Add dairy-free cream cheese to a microwave-safe, large-sized bowl. Soften cream cheese briefly in the microwave oven. Make sure the cheese does not actually melt, just softens.
*Add dairy-free parmesan, cooked spinach and half of the chopped, cooked bacon to the same bowl. Mix everything well. Tip: save the remaining half of the bacon pieces to arrange on top of the cheese mixture.
How to stuff butternut squash: *By this time, you have roasted the butternut squash for 40 minutes. Remove it from the oven and turn cooked squash halves cut sides up.
*Let it cool slightly. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh leaving about a one-inch border along the sides.
*Divide the spinach, bacon and cheese mixture among the four halves and stuff the squash until the mixture is leveled. Top with the remaining chopped, cooked bacon.
*Roast the stuffed butternut squash in the preheated oven at 400 F for 15 more minutes until the cheese mixture melts.
*Optionally, broil for three or five minutes to get a golden crust over the cheese. Watch closely, and be very careful not to burn the squash and the cheese mixture. Tip: Broil on the second oven rack from the top - not on the very top rack, so that it doesn't burn. Watch carefully because all ovens are different. My squash was fine broiled for 5 minutes on the second oven rack from the top.
*Top with freshly ground black pepper and fresh thyme.
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