Super Stuffed Squash - $5.53 a serving
Every non-staple ingredient matched to a real product on the shelf, priced on 2026-07-19 at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine (ZIP 45202). 1 pantry staples excluded. 1 match is flagged for you to check rather than silently swapped. Prices change without notice - this is what we paid attention to on that date, not a quote.
| The recipe says | We found | Package | Uses | Costs | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 2 acorn squash | Green Acorn Squash · 1 lbSIZE UNREAD - 1 PKG ASSUMED | $1.49 | 2 | $1.49 | - |
| 3. 1 cup brown rice | Kroger® Long Grain Brown Rice · 16 oz | $0.99 | 195 g | $0.43 | $0.56 |
| 4. 1 pound ground pork | Ground Pork · 1 lb | $3.99 | 454 g | $3.99 | - |
| 5. 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped | Jumbo Yellow Onions · 1 lb | $1.19 | 1 | $0.29 | $0.90 |
| 6. 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced | Kroger® Whole Garlic Bulbs · 5 ct | $2.49 | 3 | $1.49 | $1.00 |
| 7. 1 medium sweet apple, peeled, cored, and dicedCHECK THIS | Large Red Delicious Apple - Each · 1 lb | $1.79 | 1 | $0.71 | $1.08 |
| 8. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika | Badia® Smoked Paprika · 2 oz | $1.69 | 2 g | $0.06 | $1.63 |
| 9. 4 teaspoons olive oil | Simple Truth Organic® Extra Virgin Olive Oil · 16.9 fl oz | $8.49 | 20 ml | $0.34 | $8.15 |
olive oil drives this basket at $8.49, 38% of the total. The next biggest lines are ground pork ($3.99) and garlic ($2.49). $13.32 of the basket - 60% - is package remainder: food you buy because stores sell packages and recipes call for amounts. It does not vanish, it sits in your kitchen for the next meal.
- Simple Truth Organic® Extra Virgin Olive Oil · about 480 ml left, $8.15 of value
- Badia® Smoked Paprika · about 55 g left, $1.63 of value
- Large Red Delicious Apple - Each · about 274 g left, $1.08 of value
- Kroger® Whole Garlic Bulbs · about 2 left, $1.00 of value
- Jumbo Yellow Onions · about 344 g left, $0.90 of value
- Kroger® Long Grain Brown Rice · about 259 g left, $0.56 of value
“Ethan created this recipe specifically for this contest,” says Ethan’s mom, Shannon. “Since Ethan recently discovered he liked acorn squash and is not a big fan of the purple carrots, he decided to make the squash the star of his dish. He also knew he wanted to use one of his favorite seasonings, smoked paprika. He thought about how his ingredients would go together, brainstormed ideas with his mom and grandma, and shopped for ideas and locally available ingredients that would go with the squash and pork.” He serves his Squash with a Maple-Granola Yogurt Parfait on the side.
- 2 acorn squash
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 medium sweet apple, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
This recipe is credited to a partner program (The 2016 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Cookbook), so we don't reprint its directions - read them on the archived original.
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