Roasted Squash with Spinach and Gruyère

When Rosemary La Puma's nutritionist encouraged her to include three to five vegetables a day in her menus, she turned to roasting, in addition to other basic preparation techniques, because it's so easy. And La Puma likes roasted squash as a natural bowl for one more vegetable, spinach.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2  acorn squash (about 1 lb. each)
• 1  package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1  cup  shredded gruyère cheese (about 4 oz.)
• 1/4  cup  chopped walnuts
• Salt and fresh-ground pepper

Preparation

1. Rinse squash and cut each in half lengthwise; scoop out and discard seeds. Place squash halves, cut side down, in a 10- by 15-inch pan.

2. Bake in a 400° regular or convection oven until squash is just tender when pierced, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, squeeze moisture from spinach. In a bowl, mix spinach, 3/4 cup cheese, and walnuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. With tongs or a spatula, turn squash halves over and spoon spinach mixture equally into cavities. Sprinkle equally with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Return squash to oven and bake until cheese melts and filling is hot in the center, 15 to 20 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

251 (50% from fat)

Protein:

13g

Fat:

14g (sat 5.8)

Carbohydrate:

22g

Fiber:

7.9g

Sodium:

154mg

Cholesterol:

31mg