Delicata Squash Stuffed with Red Quinoa

I had a lot of red quinoa stuffing left after I made the Quinoa Chiles Rellenos the other day. I decided to stuff a delicata squash I had on hand.

In a classic case of photo fail, I neglected to get side shot of the delicata squash, so I cannot show you how beautiful it looked.

Delicata Squash Stuffed with Red Quinoa

1 medium delicata squash
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
2-3 cups of red quinoa stuffing
1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Split the squash, clean out the seeds and guts. (I save the seeds for toasting and tossing on salads.)

Put the squash in a casserole dish cut side up with a 1/2 inch of water in dish.

Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with honey.

Cover with foil and bake 30 - 45 minuntes, until squash is fork tender.

Remove from oven and fill squash with stuffing.

Return to oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

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Red Quinoa Stuffing

This is the stuffing I used in Quinoa Chiles Rellenos.

Red Quinoa Stuffing

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water or broth
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt as desired
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup green onions sliced on the diagonal
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided


Bring the quinoa, water, spices and salt to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add carrots. Cover and cook 2 minutes.

Add corn and onions and saute uncovered for 2 minutes to thaw the corn.

Stir the vegetables and 1/2 cup of cheese into the finished quinoa.

Makes 5 cups of stuffing for peppers or squash with 1/2 cup cheese remaining to sprinkle on top before baking.

You can also spread stuffing in casserole dish and heat 10 minutes at 400º.

You can prepare this stuffing ahead and then reheat in 350º oven for half hour. Sprinkle cheese on for last 5 minutes of baking.

I used this stuffing to stuff delicata squash.

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Quinoa Chiles Rellenos

I am of the opinion that when you find a new recipe that calls for several new ingredients that you don't already have in your kitchen, it's a good idea to substitute some things you already have to keep the price reasonable and to avoid a cupboard full of one off ingredients you don't like or aren't sure how to use.

Of course, you risk not creating exactly what the author intended.

Quinoa Chiles Rellenos

I cooked these poblano chilies with red quinoa stuffing recipe loosely following the quinoa Chiles Rellenos recipe that ran on the Dallas Morning News site last week. `

How Much Quinoa Stuffing Do You Need?

This recipe makes much more stuffing than necessary for four peppers. I could have halved the recipe and still I would have had leftovers. If you make this, either cut the stuffing in half or buy about ten chilies to stuff.

I was somewhat disappointed with my results. Probably my fault, I tinkered with the recipe. I was afraid the stuffing wouldn't have enough flavor, so I added 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper to the quinoa. The stuffing was fantastic but with the poblanos it was too hot for our palates. We scooped out the stuffing and left the peppers uneaten. (I know, damn yankee.)

Peel Me a Poblano

Charring the skins takes a long time. I don't know if it would have gone quicker on a grill, or if I should have had the skillet hotter, but I spent fifteen minutes charring them and they still weren't easy to peel in places. Not sure I ever plan to try that again.

I also did not care for the diced carrots blanched. Next time I would saute them with the corn (didn't have peas on hand) and the green onions.

Smoked Cheese On My Mind

I looked in the specialty cheese case at my local supermarket and I could not find scamorza cheese. I can understand the opinion that there is no good substitute for this cheese. I have felt that way about smoked provolone ever since I moved away from Pennsylvania and I cannot find it in Massachusetts stores. Meatball subs don't taste right to me without smoked provolone.

To get back to the quinoa chiles rellenos, I used my usual Vermont sharp cheddar instead of a smoked mozzerella.

I skipped the sausage because that's how I roll these days. :-) Just as well, I would have had another cup of stuffing leftover.

This is how everything looked before I stirred it together.

Very colorful and aromatic.

Would I Do It Again?

When I think of Chiles Rellenos, I think of something swimming in white sauce or cheese, so this recipe didn't move me (though I bet with the scamorza and the sausage, it would have been a treat.)

One of my sons says he prefers the red quinoa, so I will be cooking with it again. I used the leftover stuffing to stuff delicata squash. I will make this red quinoa stuffing recipe again, though I likely won't stuff poblanos with it.

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Turmeric Red and White Quinoa With Mint

I had some colorful fun with my quinoa over the weekend. I wanted to use the red quinoa I bought last week, but had no particular red quinoa dish in mind. Then I remembered a new bottle of turmeric and I started to think how pretty turmeric quinoa would be with the red to offset it.

Turmeric Red and White Quinoa With Mint 

1 tbsp of red quinoa
Enough white quinoa to measure 1 cup total
1 3/4 cup water or stock
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 oz (roughly 1 cup) mint leaves chopped fine.

I put the tablespoon of red quinoa into a cup and then filled the rest of the cup with white quinoa. I tried cooking the quinoa with a little less liquid than a straight 2:1 ratio, and I like the texture of the quinoa better this way. I used water and stirred in the turmeric and salt before bringing to a boil.

I simmered the quinoa for 15 minutes.

All the water was absorbed, so I stirred in the mint leaves and let the pot of quinoa sit, covered, for about three minutes before serving.

I served this pilaf with vibrant vegetables (summer and zucchini squashes, red bell pepper, onion) sauteed with garlic and ginger.

Very delicious, aromatic, and visually appealing dish!

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