Middle Eastern Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipes

MOROCCAN-STYLE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Arrange squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until tender. Dissolve the sugar in the melted butter. Brush squash with the butter mixture, and keep squash warm while preparing the stuffing.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
• Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover skillet, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Stuff squash halves with the skillet mixture to serve.

MIDDLE EASTERN STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and strings. Place squash cut side down in a shallow baking dish and fill with 1/4" of water. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork.
• In the meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, whisking constantly. Watch closely as brown flecks begin to appear. As soon as the butter turns a caramel brown color and has a nutty fragrance (this should take between 4-6 minutes; do not allow the butter to turn black), remove from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the olive oil, cinnamon and cardamom. Note: Can add additional spices, like ground coriander, ground cumin, red or black pepper.
• Add the 1 1/3 cup water and quinoa to the same saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.
• Toss 2 cups of the quinoa with the seasoned brown butter, cashews, apricots and mint. Cover the quinoa mixture to keep it warm if the squash needs more time to finish baking.
• Equally divide the quinoa filling among the four squash halves. Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.

TEX-MEX STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside. Place the acorn squash in a microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup water. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and microwave until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, spread the tofu on a large plate and press out the excess moisture with paper towels; set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and stir to coat the vegetables. Add the tofu and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, breaking up any large chunks, until combined. Stir in the salsa. Remove from the heat.
• Set the squash halves cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet (trim the bottoms so they sit flat, if necessary). Pat dry and season the insides generously with salt and pepper. Stir half of the cheese into the tofu mixture, then divide among the squash halves. Top with the remaining cheese and bake until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Top with the reserved scallions and assorted toppings.

ACORN SQUASH WITH MIXED-GRAIN STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush a baking sheet with oil. Mix together 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, and coriander; sprinkle inside of squashes with spice mixture. Place squashes on sheet, cut-sides down, and roast until just tender, about 20 minutes.
• Turn cut-sides up and fill with stuffing, mounding slightly (you should use about 3/4 cup in each squash half). These can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before baking. Bake, covered with parchment-lined foil, until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve, with relish and sprinkled with toasted almonds and parsley.

MOROCCAN-STYLE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Arrange squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until tender. Dissolve the sugar in the melted butter. Brush squash with the butter mixture, and keep squash warm while preparing the stuffing.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
• Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover skillet, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Stuff squash halves with the skillet mixture to serve.

MEXICAN-INSPIRED STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Fill a baking pan with 1/2 inch of water.
• Place squash halves, cut-sides down, in the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
• While squash is baking, heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat; stir in onion and bell pepper. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in beans, tomatoes, and frozen corn.
• Remove squash from the oven. Carefully turn each half over, fill with bean and veggie mixture, and top with shredded cheese.
• Return to the oven and bake until cheese is bubbling and squash is tender, about 20 more minutes.

MOROCCAN-STYLE STUFFED ACORN SQUASHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squashes, cut sides down, in a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a 4-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, a pinch each cinnamon and nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl or plate using a slotted spoon, keeping as much cooking liquid in the pot as possible.
• Add onion, and cook until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining teaspoon salt and the bulgur, and stir to combine. Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and add reserved beef, the raisins, parsley, and pine nuts.
• Scrape out baked squashes, forming 1/4-inch-thick bowls, and fold flesh into bulgur mixture. Divide among squash halves, and return to oven. Bake until warmed through and tops are browned, 12 to 14 minutes.

FESTIVE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Place the acorn squash stem-side up on a cutting board and cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp, and transfer to a bowl. Separate the seeds from the pulp. Set aside.
• Set the squash halves cut-side up on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, or until almost cooked through.
• In a small pot, combine the wild rice and 1¼ cups (300 ml) vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
• Rinse the squash seeds and dry on a dish towel (some residual moisture is okay). Transfer to a small bowl and add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and maple syrup. Mix until well-coated.
• Remove the squash from the oven and move to one side of the baking sheet. Using parchment paper, make a tray for the squash seeds. Spread the squash seeds on the tray.
• Bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the squash is completely tender and the seeds are crispy.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes, until they've released a good amount of liquid.
• Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until semi-translucent. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the garlic, rosemary, and thyme, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Add the kale, salt, and pepper, and cook until the kale wilts and reduces in volume by about ¼. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth and cook until kale is almost completely wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the wild rice and remove from the heat.
• Fill each squash half with the mushroom mixture and garnish with the squash seeds and pomegranate seeds. (Save leftover squash seeds for snacking!)
• Enjoy!