Looking for a healthy, tasty meal that won’t break the bank? Look no further, my friend. I’ve got ya covered.

These spicy stuffed acorn squashes are hearty and filling, but the best part is that they round out to only about three dollars each. Seriously.

Most of the ingredients you already probably have on hand, too—ground cumin, an extra can of black beans in the back of your pantry, some veggie stock, leftover diced tomatoes from a recipe you made a few days ago…let’s put it all to good use!

Bulgur is a quick-cooking whole grain that packs in plenty of fiber and chew. If you don’t have bulgur laying around, or can’t find it in the bulk bins at your local health food store, try quinoa or even brown rice instead.

For this, I cooked the bulgur with vegetable broth, spicy diced tomatoes and ground cumin for extra flavor. Then, I just tossed some black beans in it before stuffing into the roasted acorn squash halves. The result is a deliciously simply vegetarian meal that tastes even better when reheated the next day. You’re going to love it!

Happy cooking!

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Try this stuffed acorn squash recipe for a healthy and inexpensive dinner idea. Food blogger Jenna Weber shares her inspiration for this unique tasting dish in a full post on the Fresh Tastes blog.

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash (about 2-3 lbs each)
• ½ cup bulgur wheat
• ¾ cup vegetable stock
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp cumin
• ½ cup diced tomatoes with green chilies
• ½ cup black beans
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• fresh minced cilantro for serving
• hot sauce (optional)
• salsa (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice the tops off each acorn squash and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Toss seeds in the garbage and lay the squashes, cut side down, on a greased foil lined sheet tray. Roast for about 30-40 minutes until very tender when pricked with a fork.
3. While the squashes are roasting, prepare the filling. Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a medium sized saucepot. Once boiling, add the bulgur, salt, cumin and tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 13 minutes until liquid has been absorbed. Add black beans and hot sauce to taste.
4. Fill the inside of the squashes with the bulgur mixture and top with cheddar cheese. Broil on high for about 3-4 minutes until cheese melts.
5. Top squashes with fresh cilantro, more hot sauce and salsa if desired.

Yield: 2 servings

Jenna Weber is half of the Fresh Tastes blog team. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in 2008 and, since then, has worked as a pastry chef, bread baker and freelance food editor. Currently, Jenna blogs full-time on EatLiveRun.com where her delicious daily recipes and quirky culinary musings appeal to thousands. She lives in Northern California and, when not in the kitchen, can usually be found on her yoga mat.