Roasted Acorn Squash & Pumpkin Burgers (topped with espinaca catalana)

*Recipe follows story

I’ve written about it before…
Vegetables get lonely…  

When I get home from work late and lose steam to cook anything but oatmeal or eggs, I’m left looking at my veggies as though I’m a neglectful parent.

The acorn squashes I bought last Sunday were still firm and quite in tact; I imagined like the newly fashioned implants of a porn star.  Not like I’m an expert on implants and porn stars, but still.  Or maybe I am. Ah ha.  

Anyway, I was tired of roasting squash.  I no longer wanted to drizzle with olive oil, brown sugar or honey.  I was tired of making pizzas and my taste buds went sour with the thought of lopping honks of the stuff on to my daily salads. 

I looked at the acorn squash with mixed feelings of neglect and resentment.  I knew I didn’t want it, I bought it because I was in a vegetable rut.  In fact, I bought 2.  What did I think I was doing as a single woman with 2 acorn squashes.  I’m almost embarrassed to admit I bought 2.  It sounds so compulsive.  Tina Nom Nom bought 2 squashes. Must buy 2 of everything (insert robot voice).  I didn’t even have planned dinner guests or an idea in mind for the squash.  It was impulse. The purchase also had to be coupled with my whole boob association, which means I subconsciously bought 2 because boobies come in pairs. And, as much as I love to cook, when I know my work week is going to be hectic I buy items I can easily put together and use in different ways with no added over thinking…

I thought the squash purchase was an easy way out.
What was I thinking?
There’s no easy way out with food.
I’m not satisfied with just anything. 

Alas, after I got over my deep seeded emotional issues of neglect, resentment and robot voices, I was able to see through my frustration and work my way to a new nom.  
The idea for acorn squash burgers arose through incidental (and quite minimal, really) research. The other night, I was lying on my couch, sprawled out like a dude, lap top on the lower part of my tummy, navigating my very own Nom Noms (yes, I cruise my own blog).   I ended up mulling over a Passover dinner I made for some friends, and I thought deeply about luscious spaghetti squash fritters…

I wanted to take acorn squash to a new level…

I was also staring down a can of pumpkin I opened up earlier in the week, and I needed to get that can out of my fridge asap.  

What happened was a nommy take on the fritter.  What happened to this acorn squash and fallow pumpkin was good.  What happened was a melding of delicious flavors in patty form.  

Ross and Oren approved of their lunchtime delight.  I’m single, with multiple squashes, what am I supposed to do?  Thank the good lord for Ross and Oren, I couldn’t have asked for better desk mates.  They never refuse a nom.  

But now, what to do with the other acorn squash I bought… 

Roasted Acorn Squash & Pumpkin Burgers

1 medium acorn squash 
1/3 c. pumpkin puree
1 large egg (beaten with 1 T. half and half)
1 small onion & 2 cloves garlic  (sauteed for 5-7 minutes in 2 tsp. olive oil) 
2 T. parsley (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 c. oats (I used a mixture of quick oats and whole oats)
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 c. breadcrumbs (I prefer unseasoned so I can salt & pepper on my own)
1/4 c. grated pecorino
1/4 c. butter (melted)

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees
-Cut acorn squash in half and deseed, lightly salt and pepper, place face down on a baking sheet, poking a few holes in the top skin, and let roast for 45 minutes to an hour
-Let squash cool
-Once squash is cooled, remove all flesh and place in a large mixing bowl with the pumpkin puree
-Add sauteed onions & garlic, parsley, egg, nutmeg, salt & pepper to the roasted squash/pumpkin and mix well
-Add oats and put mixture aside
-Prep a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and put aside
-Mix breadcrumbs, pecorino and freshly ground pepper (more salt if you like) in a 1-2” deep dish and put aside
-Begin to form patties, and as you form patties, coat them in the bread crumb mixture and transfer them to your baking sheet
-Once all patties have been made and dredged in breadcrumb, place in the oven
-Allow patties to cook for 20 minutes on each side, until light golden brown
-After patties have lightly browned, remove from the oven and brush the top of each one with the melted butter
-Place in the broiler for one minute (so the tops get a deep brown) and repeat for the other side

*The acorn squash and pumpkin burgers remained soft and creamy on the inside, while the outside maintained a firmness that can only be attributed to the butter and broiling

*Much like the spaghetti squash fritters, these burgers can easily be made into a Passover delight by substituting the oats for matzoh meal.  This would also make the base for a delicious vegan meatloaf, by adding tempeh and swapping out eggs for flax seeds and eliminating the cheese with a substitute