Polenta Spinach Stuffed Butternut Squash

Butternut Roasted Squash

On Sunday, I posted a picture to Facebook of my lovely roasted butternut squash… to which many friends commented on its phallic nature.  I can’t deny this, though to be fair, I also didn’t particularly notice, either.  By the time Sunday night rolled around and I stuffed them, I couldn’t see anything else.  Ahhh well… there are worse things.

I’ve had an idea of a polenta-based stuffing that I finally bought yellow grits in which to put to test my idea.  It evolved as things will.  I’m quite satisfied with the results even if I would try something a little different next time.

Stuffed Butternut Squash

For the squash, I notched out some of the stem then added a thin layer of tofu ricotta, topped it with baked sesame polenta and then finished it off with a garlic spinach and black bean mixture.  For good measure, I sprinkled some hemp seeds and few dashes of hot sauce.  Then, back to the oven.

In my next iteration, I may opt for fresh, instead of frozen, spinach… or perhaps kale. I would also toss it first and bake it with the polenta before stuffing.  I did like the addition of the creamy tofu ricotta–I was afraid it would somehow take away from the dish, but it actually helped tie together the flavors quite nicely.