We've all been there. Life slipped away from us and we didn't get a chance to hit up the grocery store and we find ourselves standing in the glow of the fridge wondering what in the world we're going to pull together for dinner.

This is what happened to me. My heart sank as I looked in my fridge and all I saw was a bunch a condiments, an acorn squash, some cheese and a package of chorizo. I'm not going to say I never get fast food, because that's just not human, but if I can, I always try to make a meal at home before running out. So what in the world was I going to make with what was staring me in the face?  It seriously was like a light-bulb went off and the answer came to me. Stuffed acorn squash!

In addition to the measly contents of my fridge, I knew I had some staples in my pantry that I could incorporate. So I tried a little of this and a little of that and to my amazement, the results were amazing!

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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You'll need:
An acorn squash
A box of rice
Chorizo (or sausage of your choice)
A can of beans

I used with chorizo sausage because it's what I had in my fridge. The nice thing about chorizo is that it's got a little bit of a bite to it so you won't have to go crazy with the spices. I also used Bush's Cochina Latina beans because that's what was in my pantry. You could probably substitute with black beans, but the Latina beans took this to a whole new level of deliciousness.

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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The first thing you'll want to do is cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the guts (the seeds and stringy stuff), but leave the meaty part. I've found using a metal spoon to do this is the easiest way. Next up, you'll need to cook the squash. You can do this either in the oven or in the microwave. Both taste the same. To cook in the oven, rub the squash with some olive oil and then place both halves face down (the orangeish colored side) in a casserole dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender. To cook in the microwave, rub the squash with oil and then place both halves face down in a microwavable casserole dish and cover with plastic wrap. Cook for 20-25 minutes on high, or until the squash is fork tender.

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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While your squash is cooking, cook rice according to package. You'll also need to cook the chorizo according to the package. I cooked the links until they were almost done and then took them out of the pan, cut the casing off and chopped the sausage into small pieces and popped back in the pan to finish cooking. If you can find ground chorizo, even better!

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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After the rice has finished cooking, add it to the pan with the cooked chorizo and also add in your can of beans. Mix together and cook on low until everything is heated all the way through. Pre-heat oven to 350 if it's not already turned on for the squash.

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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After the squash has finished cooking, scoop out the inside and add to the pan with the rice, chorizo and beans and give it a good stir. Be careful when scooping out the inside of the squash to not ruin the green skin part because you're going to fill the squash back up with the mixture in the frying pan. Leaving the squash in the casserole dish, stuff the squash shell nice and tight with the frying pan mixture and then top with cheese. Place in oven on 350 for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts over the top.

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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You can eat the skin of the acorn squash if you'd like. Actually, if you do- it's an excellent source of fiber. Just make sure to scrub the squash well before cutting it in half and cooking it.

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