One of my favorite lunch spots in Tampa is Pane Rustica. If you haven’t been, think Anthropologie meets Panera. It has casual counter service (during the day), an eclectic dining atmosphere, and stellar food. Pane Rustica is a must-do-often lunch spot here in TPA.
One of their more unique menu offerings is an acorn squash stuffed with their chicken salad of the day. Served with a small yeast roll and topped with fresh fruit, it’s quite simply lunch perfection.
Now that I’ve given credit where credit is due, I totally jacked their idea for this meal. I split a sweet dumpling squash in two, coated it with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and baked in a 450 degree oven for 35 minutes. I let it cool in the fridge for 20ish minutes while I made tuna salad with vegenaise, dijon mustard, celery, and shallots.
I stuffed the cooled squash full of tuna salad and admired its prettiness. Squash bowls are about to be all the rage in my kitchen!
I love how you described the place – sounds like something I’ll have to hit up if I’m ever in that part of town!
Thanks!! Definitely give it a try if you can, it’s one of the best places in Tampa.
Mmm… that sounds like an interesting combo of flavors.
It’s definitely awesome with a sweeter chicken salad, but the tuna was surprisingly good too.