So most of my recipes I was easily able to transfer over from my blog, or I have been able to recreate into a gluten free version without much of a hassle. There are a few recipes, however, that just did not make the cut or I have not gotten around to converting quite yet. Sorry! It’s a little busy around here, but I will get to it soon…someday.
This particular recipe did not make the cut because it used cream of mushroom soup which is thickened with flour. In addition to needing to tweak the recipe, my original pictures of this dish were plain old hideous! There was absolutely no way I even wanted to transfer the photos over to the new website. It is exciting yet simultaneously embarrassing to see how significantly my photography skills have progressed in the past few months. Still, most days, I rely on flat out luck to nail at least one presentable picture. There are consistently two times I catch myself saying little prayers while cooking; one right before I stick my food in the oven, and the second time before I begin taking pictures. Both prayers are pretty much the same, sounding something like, “Please let this work!”
Well I have to say that both prayers were answered the day I decided to give this Brown Rice and Beef Stuffed Acorn Squash a gluten free makeover. To my pleasant surprise, this dish was even more flavorful by creating my own cream of mushroom soup base as opposed to using the condensed canned version. I love the heartiness of this meal and its close resemblance to stroganoff in terms of flavor. The beefy soupy base is just what you would find in a perfect stroganoff recipe, along with a punch of pepper. The fresh vegetables and mixture of herbs really elevate this dish in texture and taste, and the roasting of the acorn squash brings such an earthiness to the dish.
This is another meal that is quite easy to prep ahead of time. Use leftover rice, chop your veggies early in the day, or even make the entire filling up to 2 days in advance to cut down on prep time or cook time. This is sure to become a family favorite. Go ahead and file it under “Comfort Food”.
Brown Rice and Beef Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients:
3 large or 4 medium sized acorn squashes
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup water
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds and strings from the middle. Lay flesh side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle each with olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 45 minutes until flesh is tender when pierced with fork.
2. While squash is baking begin making filling by cooking rice (I used instant brown rice) according to package directions and chopping vegetables. Set cooked rice and chopped vegetables aside. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Add onions and carrots to saucepan and cook for 3-5 minutes until onions are tender, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Add celery and mushrooms and cook 2 minutes more. Add beef and garlic, sprinkling with salt and pepper again. Cook until beef is no longer pink (3-5 minutes). Drain excess fat, if any and set aside.
4. In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted over medium heat. Dissolve cornstarch into cold milk and add to saucepan. Add basil, oregano, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir until it reaches boiling. Continue to stir for two minutes until thickened.
5. Pour mixture into saucepan with meat. Stir until combined. Add sour cream and water. Stir until combined. Add cooked rice and stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Divide mixture into middle of acorn squash halves. Sprinkle tops with shredded parmesan cheese. Mix together melted butter and bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top of parmesan cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees until filling is warmed through and bread crumbs are browning, about 8-10 minutes. (If making filling ahead of time and it is cold, warm in a skillet first and then pour into squash halves)
Serves 6-8
- 3 large or 4 medium sized acorn squashes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped carrot
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup light sour cream
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- ¼ cup gluten free bread crumbs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds and strings from the middle. Lay flesh side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle each with olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 45 minutes until flesh is tender when pierced with fork.
- While squash is baking begin making filling by cooking rice (I used instant brown rice) according to package directions and chopping vegetables. Set cooked rice and chopped vegetables aside. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add onions and carrots to saucepan and cook for 3-5 minutes until onions are tender, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Add celery and cook 2 minutes more. Add beef, garlic and mushrooms, sprinkling with salt and pepper again. Cook until beef is no longer pink (3-5 minutes). Drain excess fat, if any and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted over medium heat. Dissolve cornstarch into cold milk and add to saucepan. Add basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir until it reaches boiling. Continue to stir for two minutes until thickened.
- Pour mixture into saucepan with meat. Stir until combined. Add sour cream and water. Stir until combined. Add cooked rice and stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide mixture into middle of acorn squash halves. Sprinkle tops with shredded parmesan cheese. Mix together melted butter and bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top of parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees until filling is warmed through and bread crumbs are browning, about 8-10 minutes.*
