Orzo stuffed Acorn Squash

 Print This Post

INGREDIENTS

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 chicken breast, cut into 1″ chunks
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 3/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• 4-5 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
• 2-3 drops hot sauce (or more to taste)
• salt, pepper
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. coriander

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Cut acorn squash in half, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Pour a cup of water in the bottom of a baking dish and place the squash halves with the cut sides facing down. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven for approx. 35 min.

2. While the squash is baking, bring the water to boil and add the orzo. Let the orzo cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. This is probably less water than your orzo package recommends, so you will need to stir frequently to keep it from sticking.

3. While waiting for the water to boil, saute the onion and chicken in a skillet. Personally, I prefer to avoid oil or butter in the step, but other cooks may like to lubricate the skillet with some oil.

4. Once the orzo thickens, add in the milk and chicken broth and stir well to incorporate.
Seth’s tip: When boiling chicken for other dishes, keep the resulting broth and freeze in small amounts for later uses. I like to pour about 1/4 cup into each section of a muffin tin so that I have pre-measured portions for quick use. After the broth freezes, remove the disks from the muffin tin and store in a Ziploc bag.

5. Stir in remaining ingredients, except for the parmesan cheese.

6. Remove the squash from the oven and discard the water. Turn the halves cut side up, and fill with the orzo mixture. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the tops and return to the oven for another 25 min. or until the parmesan begins to brown.
Seth’s tip: If the squash are not balancing well, you can cut a small portion off the bottom, so it sits flat against the pan. I simply re-used my foil (that had covered the squash earlier), and smashed it down around the base of the squash, creating a ring to hold it in place while cooking.

Each serving comes out to right about 500 calories and 15g fat. You could easily cut the calories by omitting some of the cheese.