For a simple but elegant stuffed squash recipe, we started with halved acorn squash. To ensure that we achieved both tender squash and a perfectly cooked filling, we roasted the squash on its own until tender and made an easy filling in the meantime. Hearty pearl barley was an ideal base for the filling. While the barley cooked, we sautéed chopped fennel and onion and then folded this mixture into the barley along with pine nuts, Parmesan, herbs, and a splash of sweet, bright balsamic vinegar. We topped the squash with a sprinkle of additional cheese and baked it for just a few minutes to warm it through. Be sure to look for similar-size squash (1½ pounds each) to ensure even cooking. Do not substitute hulled, hull-less, quick-cooking, or presteamed barley (read the ingredient list on the package to determine this) in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 acorn squashes (1½ pounds each), halved pole to pole and seeded
- Salt and pepper
- ¾ cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and chopped fine
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh sage
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease with 1 tablespoon oil. Brush cut sides of squash with 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper, and lay cut side down on prepared baking sheet. Roast on lower rack until tender (paring knife can be slipped into flesh with no resistance), 45 to 55 minutes. Remove squash from oven and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.
- Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Stir in barley and ¼ teaspoon salt. Return to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook until barley is tender, 20 to 25 minutes; drain.
- Wipe now-empty saucepan dry, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, fennel, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and sage and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in cooked barley, ¾ cup Parmesan, butter, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Flip roasted squash over and scoop out flesh, leaving ⅛-inch thickness of flesh in each shell. Gently fold squash flesh into barley mixture. Spoon mixture into squash shells, mounding it slightly, and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan.
- Bake on upper rack until cheese is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pine nuts and parsley and serve.
