Stuffed Butternut Squash with Feta Cheese, Spinach,

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Prepare the butternut squash. Slice each one in half lengthwise. Keep fingers away from the knife to avoid injury. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and fleshy strands tangled with the seeds.

Place butternut squash cut sides up on a baking sheet. Drizzle the cut sides of butternut squashes with olive oil and rub the oil into the squash. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Turn the squash over, and place it cut sides down on a baking sheet. Tip: line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.

Roast in the preheated oven at 400 F for 40 minutes.

Proceed with the rest of the recipe while the squash is in the oven.

In a large, high-sided skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat and add chopped fresh spinach. Cook for about 5 minutes until the spinach wilts. If there is any liquid in the pan, drain it. Remove from heat.

Add crumbled feta cheese, smoked paprika, and chili powder to the skillet and stir it with cooked spinach.

Add half of the chopped cooked bacon to the skillet. Mix everything well. Tip: save the remaining half of the bacon pieces to arrange on top of the cheese mixture.

By this time, you have roasted the butternut squash for 40 minutes. Remove it from the oven and turn cooked squash halves cut sides up.

Let it cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh using a spoon, leaving about a 1-inch border along the sides. (For reference, I provide the step-by-step photos, including for this step, below this recipe card).

Add back the scooped-out squash into the larger cavities of the butternut squash.

Warm up the feta cheese, spinach, and bacon mixture in the skillet. Divide this mixture among the 4 halves and stuff the squash until the mixture is leveled.

Top with the remaining chopped cooked bacon.

Optionally, you can reheat the stuffed butternut squash in the oven at 400 F for 10 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh herbs.