Stuffed Squash with Turkey Meatloaf and Wild Rice Arugula Salad

My favorite daytime television show - ABC's The Chew - has been on point the past few weeks. There have been a handful of recipes that I just had to try. You'll slowly see them on the blog over the next little bit and today we're starting with this one. Michael Symon made turkey meatballs stuffed into butternut squash and paired it with a wild rice arugula salad. Everything about this is amazing. At first I was just going to make the stuffed butternut and toss something else together for the side but I didn't... and you shouldn't either. The wild rice arugula salad side holds its own next to the turkey stuffed squash and is delicious.

We commented that this would be a great dish if you're hosting a small group of folks sometime over the holidays.

Michael Symon's Stuffed Squash with Turkey Meatloaf and Wild Rice Arugula Salad from ABC's The Chew

Ingredients
For the Butternut + Turkey
2 butternut squashes
olive oil
salt + freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, finely diced
fresh thyme*
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup panko*
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped*
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano plus more
For the Salad
1 cup wild rice - cooked according to package instructions, cooled to room temperature
8 ounces baby arugula
1/4 Red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup pistachios*
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt + freshly ground black pepper
*substitutions made - no fresh herbs on hand so substituted an appropriate amount of a savory blend for the thyme and parsley; regular breadcrumbs for the panko; almonds for the pistachios

Directions
   Preheat your oven to 375°F.
   Cut both ends off of the squash and split in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place on a foil lined baking sheet flesh side up. Score the long end of the squash every 1”, then go back and score every 1” the other way, creating 1” crosshatch marks. Drizzle with olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, until light golden brown and mostly cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350°F.
   While the squash is cooking, prepare the meatloaf. Preheat a pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add a drizzle of olive oil along with the onion, thyme and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs from the pan, remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
   In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, worcestershire, tomato puree, egg, panko, parsley and parmigiano-reggiano. Add a good amount of salt and pepper. Pour in the cooled onion mixture and gently mix everything together until thoroughly combined.
   Scoop the meatloaf mix into the squash where the seeds were removed. Level the meatloaf mixture so it does not appear to be mounded. Grate more cheese over the top of the entire squash. Repeat with the remaining squash. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, until is golden-brown on top and the meatloaf and squash are cooked through. Remove from the oven and let sit for a minute or two before serving.
   The Chew Tip: The Meatloaf mixture can be made the night before and refrigerated.

For the Salad
   Whisk together the vinegar and oil in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Add the arugula, onions, cooked rice and pistachio. Toss to combine.

Another cat pic today