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Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash

Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash combines crunchy pecans, tart apples, fresh herbs, and tangy dried cranberries with earthy quinoa and wild rice for a healthy and hearty dish that's full of the flavors of fall. This wild rice stuffed acorn squash makes the perfect Autumn worthy dish for Thanksgiving or any chilly day.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 425kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for oiling squash
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large apple peeled, cut up
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves fresh, minced
  • 3 3/4 cups vegetable broth divided
  • 1 cup wild rice uncooked
  • 3 large acorn squash
  • 1/2 cup quinoa uncooked, rinsed well
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup pecans raw
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon sage

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions and celery until translucent and soft, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in garlic, apples, salt, pepper, and thyme, cook for 2 minutes. Pour in 1 3/4 cups of broth and bring up to a boil. Stir in the wild rice and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and simmer for 35 minutes, until tender.
  • Wash acorn squash and cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Brush some oil on the squash (optional) and place face up on baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Or cook acorn squash in the air fryer.
  • Once wild rice is done cooking add in 2 cups of the vegetable broth and the quinoa. Cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, pecans, sage, maple syrup and parsley. Add more salt if needed. 
  • Pull the squash out of the oven once they are fork tender. Spoon the stuffing into the open cavity of the squash.

Notes

  • Use chopped up walnuts instead of the pecans. Walnuts are the closest to pecans in texture, but you could also try chopping up some hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, or brazil nuts.
  • If you like you can toast the nuts before using them in this recipe.
  • Make sure to wash the quinoa really well or else you will end up with a bitter flavor.
  • Instead of baking the acorn squash in oven try cooking acorn squash in air fryer instead. It cooks a lot faster than baking it.
  • If too much of the broth cooks off while cooking the wild rice or the quinoa, just add a little more broth.
 
 
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results. 

Nutrition

Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 707mg | Potassium: 1116mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1261IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 3mg