Gem Squash with Spinach & Bacon Filling

If there’s one thing you know about me by now it’s that I love stuffing things.

And the other thing you know by now is that easy cooking is really the only kind of cooking I like doing.

So, last night I saw 2 gem squashes staring at me from my veggie drawer and looked them right in their non-existing eyes and said, “Tonight, you’re getting stuffed!”

Who’s hungry? Vincent and I, so this recipe serves two.

Ingredients

  • 2 gem squashes, halved and pips removed
  • 1 yellow pepper, sliced or diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tsp crushed garlic
  • 150 ml cream
  • 250 g bacon, cut into strips or blocks
  • 200 g chopped spinach
  • 1 round of feta cheese
  • half a tsp dried chilli flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Make the filling

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Fry the onion and garlic over low heat until the onions start to become translucent.

Add the bacon and fry until it starts to brown. Then add the yellow pepper too.

Once the yellow pepper loses its crunch, add the spinach.

Stir carefully until the spinach has wilted, then season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes.

Add the cream and stir through for about 3 minutes.

Stuff your squashes

Get an oven tray or baking dish and put your squashes inside. Now fill each one with your creamy bacon and spinach mixture. Top it off with crumbled feta cheese.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the squashes.

Dish and enjoy

Serve as a side dish, or make it a main meal with additional flavoured rice or couscous.

I quite liked it just as is.

Get the print-ready recipe here:

Gem Squash with Spinach & Bacon Filling

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Turn this truly delicious side dish into a main with the addition of some rice or couscous at the end. Stuffed with bacon and creamy spinach, this delicious squash is perfect as a quick lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

  • 2 gem squashes, halved and pips removed
  • 1 yellow pepper, sliced or diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tsp crushed garlic
  • 150 ml cream
  • 250 g bacon, cut into strips or blocks
  • 200 g chopped spinach
  • 1 round of feta cheese
  • half a tsp dried chilli flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Fry the onion and garlic over low heat until it starts to become translucent.
  2. Add the bacon and fry until it starts to brown. Then add the yellow pepper too.
  3. Once the yellow pepper loses its crunch, add the spinach.
  4. Stir carefully until the spinach has wilted, then season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes.
  5. Add the cream and stir through for about 3 minutes.
  6. Get an oven tray or baking dish and put your squashes inside. The fill each one with your creamy bacon and spinach mixture. Top it off with crumbled feta cheese.
  7. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the squashes.

2 thoughts on “Gem Squash with Spinach & Bacon Filling”

  1. ecayzerblog says:
    Reply

    That looks absolutely delicious. I am not very familiar with gem squash. Is the flesh more similar in flavor to acorn or to butternut?

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    • Jana says:
      Reply

      Thanks! I have never tried acorn squash as we don’t really get them in SA. Gem squash is a little “milder” or more subdued in taste than butternut. It’s also naturally sweet and more fibrous than butternut. I think an acorn squash would be a great sub from what I’ve heard about them! But this filling could be super tasty inside a butternut too.

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