Sage Sunflower Seed Knoedel Stuffed Red Squash

I used to be intimidated by stuffing and baking whole pumpkins or squash. I over worried about so many things. Would everything cook evenly? Would the skin be too tough to eat?

I now sound ridiculous to myself after making this recipe. It was so easy and too much less work than I thought it would be.

However, beware the knoedel does have to sit for an hour after mixing it. I cheated and saved a step. The cheat is instead of reducing day-old bread into crumbs, I used bread crumbs right out of the can. So sue me.

Just to clarify, this squash is stuffed with a sage semmelknödel which is made from bread, not kartoffelknödel which is made from potato.

After searching high and low for red kabocha, I ended up using Red Kuri variety of squash for this dish. The squash has a chestnut-likee flavor. If you want a sweeter result, use red kabocha or even small pie pumpkins.

Originally I wrote this recipe to include bacon in the knoedel but decided to go with a vegetarian version. If you are a bacon fan, feel free to add four cooked bacon strips (chopped up) to the onions at the frying step. I also was going to make a cream sauce to pour over it, but I think that’s overkill.

If you don’t fancy or don’t have any sage on hand, use whatever fresh herb or combination of herbs you like in the knoedel. I liked the combination of the sage and the sunflower seeds added depth and crunch to the knoedel.

The tender squash and dense flavorful knoedel together make a delicious addition to any fall table.

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Sage Knoedel Stuffed Red Squash

Course Dinner

Cuisine German

Keyword Knoedel

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Rest Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 8

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large red onions
• 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh sage plus a few sprigs for garnish
• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds plus a sprinkling for garnish
• 4 cups breadcrumbs
• 2+1/2 cups milk
• 6 eggs slightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 small squash such as Red Hokkaido Red Kabocha or small, sweet pie pumpkins
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 4 cups vegetable broth

Instructions

Make the sage knoedel:

1. Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl.
2. Peel the onions and cut into small pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions to the pan and sauté until the onions soften.
4. Add the sage and the sunflower seeds to the pan and stir to combine. Cook stirring for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Warm the milk slightly and add it to the breadcrumbs along with the eggs and the onion, sage sunflower seed mixture.
6. Knead the mixture together.
7. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
8. Cover the bowl and let it stand room temperature for 1 hour.

Bake the squash:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut the tops off of the squash and use a spoon to scoop out the insides. Discard or reserve the scooped out flesh and seeds for future use.
3. Cut a small slice off the bottom of the squash to help it sit evenly.
4. Grease a large casserole dish.
5. Place the squash shells in the dish and stuff with the sage knoedel. Replace the lids.
   
6. Pour a cup of vegetable broth to the casserole dish. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Make the sauce:

1. In the same pan, melt the butter. Add the vegetable broth and 1 teaspoon of chopped sage.
2. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
4. Remove the Hokkaido from the oven. Remove the lids, cut the stuffed squash into quarters and transfer to a serving platter. Pour the sauce over the tops, garnish and serve.