Potatoes & Parsnips in Acorn Squash Bowls Recipe

Acorn squash pulp and parsnips add flavor to potatoes baked in the squash bowls. This is a new take on twice-baked potatoes that meat-eaters will love as much as vegetarians.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 small acorn squash, cut in half from top to bottom
• 4 medium Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 parsnips, washed and chopped into 1-inch pieces, peeled if desired
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Half acorn squash crosswise, remove seeds and place, cut side down, in a large baking pan; add 1/2 inch of warm water to pan and place in oven. Bake for one hour or until tender; remove squash from pan and set aside. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

Fill a large stock pot half-full with water and heat to boiling. Add potato and parsnip pieces to boiling water; return to boiling and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain vegetables and place in a large bowl.

With a spoon, scoop out some of the pulp from the acorn squash, being sure to leave a 1/2-inch shell so that the squash keeps its shape. Add pulp to the potato mixture. Add milk to mixture and mash with a fork -- it will be a little lumpy. Season with salt and pepper.

Using a paring knife, trim the bottom of each squash half so that they will sit steadily cut side up, making "bowls." Fill each squash bowl with about 1/2 cup of the potato mixture and place back into baking pan. Cover squash with a foil tent and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes until heated through.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutritional analysis: 279 calories, 1 g fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 167 mg sodium, 6 g protein, 66 g carbohydrates

Recipe Source: Idaho Potato Board
Reprinted with permission.