This time of year brings piles and piles of squash. One of my favourites to use is butternut; its bright orange flesh is dense and lightly sweet making it flexible enough for sweet and savoury dishes. Baking halves and using them as a bowl for any filling of choice is an easy way to use them and it can be a good method for using up leftovers. Fillings can be anything from salads to a rice (or any whole grain) pilaf to chili to a random mixture like the turkey and bacon mixture I made here.
Choose small butternut squash (these ones were about the length of my hand and the width of two fists side by side, thumbs facing up). Use a very sharp knife to cut them in half lengthwise and then scoop out the seeds with a spoon. The seeds can be saved and roasted for snacking on, just like pumpkin seeds.
Place the squash cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for around 30-35 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and wrinkled. 
Flip them over carefully, beware of escaping steam, and scoop out a bit of the flesh from the top so that the cavity extends upwards. Save the extra flesh and add it to soups, stews, smoothies, oatmeal or baking. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple days or in the freezer for a couple months.
For the filling I used some leftover turkey and sautéed it on the stove with bacon and green onion, deglazing the pan with white wine to add some acidity and sweetness and bring all the flavours together. It was easy and with a few toppings it comes together for a very seasonal, nutrient dense and decadent tasting dish. This is the kind of thing I like to make when I want a nourishing meal but am away from my regular kitchen arsenal and only have a few ingredients to work with.
Bacon provides the majority of the flavour for the stuffing and its type makes a big impact on the overall dish. Maple varieties would be a nice compliment to the sweet butternut but I also recommend Tiroler bacon (a.k.a. Tyrolean Speck) if available, more and more delis are carrying it and will cut it extra thick upon request, it has more of a ham-like texture and strong juniper flavour.
Pomegranate kind of tastes like cranberries, though it is less tart and more sweet, making it a nice fruit to pair with turkey.
Watercress is my most beloved of all the edible leafy greens, it can be hard to find but this time of year it is more widely available and is very likely at farmers’ markets and in produce stores. The leaves are soft and delicate and their flavour is peppery, it is similar to arugula but a little more subtle in my opinion. Watercress is great in salads and soups and even just a little can add some freshness to heavier, cooked dishes. Like other leafy greens it is incredibly rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and this variety specifically has been appreciated for its health properties since the time of Hippocrates.
Green onion is nice both cooked and raw for its vibrant colour and mild onion flavour. For the topping I like to slice it on a hard diagonal- it’s pretty enough to be a functional garnish. 
Butternut bowls are not quite like bread bowls in that they are not fully consumable. The skins are quite tough so it is best to just scoop all the flesh out bite by bite and discard the skins afterwards.
- 1 small butternut squash (multiply as desired)
- Filling
- 3 thick rashers bacon, chopped (around 150 grams)
- 1 cup cooked turkey, chopped
- 2 tablespoons green onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ - ½ cup white wine
- Toppings
- 1 - 2 tablespoons pomegranate airils
- 2 tablespoons watercress (or other sharp green like arugula)
- 1 teaspoon green onion, thinly sliced
- Preheat oven to 425°. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, scoop the seeds out and place the halves cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Bake them for around 35 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and wrinkled.
- At the 20 minute mark place the bacon in a skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Once the bacon starts to render, about 4-5 minutes in, add in the turkey and green onion and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring often so the bottom doesn't burn. Once the pan starts to get dry and bits are sticking to the bottom add in a splash of wine (a couple tablespoons at a time) to deglaze the pan. The amount of wine needed depends on the type of skillet used and fat content in the bacon, a non-stick pan and very fatty bacon won't need much but a metal pan and leaner bacon will require more.
- Once the butternut squash is done place it on the counter (keep oven mitts on) and use a large fork or spoon to flip them over. Leave them aside for 2-3 minutes until cool enough to touch.
- Scoop out a bit more of the flesh so the cavity extends to the top and save it to add to smoothies, oatmeal, baking, soups or stews.
- Pile the filling into the halves and top with a sprinkle of pomegranate, watercress and green onion.
