I had two of those pesky, hard-to-peel acorn squash, and, being the lazy glutton that I am, I really didn’t want to cook them.  So I created this cheater’s recipe.

You don’t even need to peel these, because you’ll just scoop out the delicious, bacony filling with a spoon, squash and all!

I cooked some Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower along with the squash, for an easy, one-pan meal. This would also be good with a side of rice, or with rice added into the stuffing. The options are endless, but this combination was low-hassle and very savory!

2 acorn squash
6 pieces of bacon, cut into small pieces
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
olive oil
butter
~1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
4 sprigs of rosemary
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Using a bit of butter and/or olive oil, cook your onions and bacon in a skillet until bacon is browned but still soft – not crispy. Drain on a paper towel while you prepare the squash.

2. Grease a medium-sized pan with olive oil or butter. Wash squash under cold running water and dry with paper towels or clean kitchen towels. On a stable surface, cut squash in half with a sharp knife. Other recipes call for cutting an acorn squash from stem to bottom, but I cut across the diameter and removed the stem with no problem. Remove the seeds and pulp from both squash with a spoon (scraping the inside with your knife to remove stringy bits if necessary).

3. Rub squash with a light coating of olive oil and place in the pan, open face up. Strip the rosemary leaves from a couple of your sprigs. Sprinkle them, along with salt and pepper, over the squash. Next, spoon the bacon and onions into the center of each hollowed out squash. If you are roasting any other side vegetables, go ahead and put them in the pan and drizzle with olive oil.* Finish off with a the remaining sprigs of rosemary laid around the pan.

4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until squash is tender when poked with a fork. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle cheese into each squash, stirring lightly to mix in a little with the bacon and onion. Return to oven and broil for about two minutes, or until cheese melts and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.