a Lark Family Classic: Italian Acorn Squash

this is a recipe I had to grow to love, but now it's a personal favorite. my parents actually use Italian Sausage instead of ground beef, but I don't like the flavor of fennel. ;)

ITALIAN ACORN SQUASH

Ingredients:
1 Acorn Squash (Feeds 2)
Butter
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Spaghetti Sauce (I ALWAYS use Bertolli Sweet Basil)
1 LB Ground Beef
Mozzarella, Parmesan, etc.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut Acorn Squash into two halves. Remove innards, but be careful not to remove too much of the orange meat from the sides.

Melt one tablespoon of butter and coat inside of each half. Season with Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper.

Wrap both halves in foil, and place them flat surface down inside the oven. (Pan is optional.) Start checking for softness at 45 minutes. You want the skin to give with a squeeze, without being mushy.

While the squash is cooking, brown the ground beef in a large pan. When the beef is cooked, drain and add spaghetti sauce. Simmer.

Once the squash is ready, take the halves from the oven and remove foil. Pour beef and sauce mixture inside, filling almost to the top. Cover with mozzarella and Parmesan, broil until the cheese starts to brown.

---

that's it! quite easy, and very delicious.

note: you'll have leftover beef and spaghetti sauce mixture... save that and have spaghetti tomorrow. Yum!