I don’t know about you, but I just don’t make acorn squash enough. It is honestly delicious. And the best part is that the oven does most of the work. Get her preheated to 400 F and she’ll roast you squash to perfect. The only hard part is cutting your squash in half. A word to the wise—be careful!!!! I usually take a deep breath and pray before I tackle cutting any kind of squash. Despite my racing heart, I still have all ten fingers and it has always been worth the 30 seconds of stress. This Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash is delicious, easy and totally Instagram worthy. It is beautiful! While it seems like a lot of moving parts—roasting squash, cooking quinoa and sautéing veggies—I promise that it will all magically come together in the end. Some recipes are truly winners, and this is one of them.
Getting cooking (and roasting)!
Add acorn squash to your grocery list and discover the perfection of this veggie. You just might discover your new favorite vegetable! If you’re looking for some other vegetarian inspiration, I love these No Fry Eggplant Stacks, this Vegetarian Chili and in the winter, I always make this Creamy Baked Polenta with Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Spinach. You can always give a homemade veggie burger a try (here are recipes for Mushroom Black Bean Burgers, Mushroom Chickpea Burgers and Quinoa Black Bean Burgers). And if you’re looking to make something that will impress, I recommend this Cauliflower Cheese Pie with Grated Potato Crust—it’s easier than it sounds. As always, let me know how your Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash comes out by leaving a comment below. Enjoy! Buen provecho!
Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
Equipment
- Stove top
- Oven
Ingredients
Roasted Acorn Squash
- cooking spray of choice
- 1 medium acorn squash
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Stuffing
- ½ cup quinoa, rinsed (see note below)
- 1 cup veggie broth (can sub water)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced (can sub small onion)
- 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ zucchini, diced
- 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
- 1 small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 2 tbsp craisins
- juice of ½ a lemon
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Carefully slice the acorn squash in half from tip to stem. Use a large spoon to scoop out and discard seeds and stringy pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Place halves face down on the baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes (until a fork is easily pierced through the skin).
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions using broth instead of water. Typically, you’ll need to bring broth and quinoa to boil over in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork and set aside.
- In a medium skillet, heat olive oil. Sauté onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for a 2 more minutes. Add zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in spinach and parsley. Once spinach has wilted, add pepitas, crasins, lemon juice, Parmesan and seasonings and cook for about 3 minutes. Add cooked quinoa (see note below; I usually add only about ½ the quinoa and save the rest for another recipe) and stir to combine. Taste and adjust season.
- When the acorn squash is roasted, remove from oven and carefully flip over (I use tongs). Divide the quinoa-veggie mixture between the two halves. Top with goat cheese. Bake for 10-12 more minutes. Serve immediately.
