Stuffed Acorn Squash
This Stuffed Acorn Squash is filled with a wild rice stuffing that's cooked in orange juice and folded in with sweet-and-savory flavors including dried cranberries, umami-rich mushrooms and crunchy pumpkin seeds. A festive way to present a main course for your vegan and vegetarian friends on Thanksgiving.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups cooked wild rice
- 1 small onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 stalks celery fine diced (about ¾ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms chopped
- ½ cup orange juice plus more to cook rice (see notes)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup sprouted pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, and use a spoon or ice cream scoop to clean out the seeds. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil onto the cut-side of each half, and season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Place cut-side down on the lined baking sheet, and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until squash is fork tender.
- While squash is roasting, prepare wild rice according to package directions. For a bigger burst of orange flavor, replace half of the liquid with orange juice (optional).
- Once squash is roasted, carefully remove about 1 cup of the squash – ¼ cup from each half – from the center. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once heated, add diced onions and cook until translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add celery and mushrooms and continue cooking, until mushrooms release liquid and start to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add minced garlic. Cook for another 1 minute.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir in cooked wild rice, ½ cup orange juice, cranberries, sage and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved acorn squash to bind the mixture. Continue cooking until the orange juice is absorbed.
- Remove mixture from heat. Stir in pumpkin seeds. Spoon mixture into the center of each acorn squash half and place back on the baking sheet.
- Return to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until fully heated through and the top of the squash is beginning to crisp. Serve.
Notes
- Nut swap: Replace the pumpkin seeds with chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Add protein: Fold in meatless sausage or canned beans of your choice. If you're serving vegan guests, check the sausage label.
- More citrus flavor: Cook the wild rice using half orange juice and half water in place of the liquid called for on the package. This step is optional, since the ½ cup orange juice added to the skillet still gives the stuffing a bright citrus note.