Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipes

VEGAN QUINOA-CRANBERRY STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven; preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut each squash in half lengthwise and scoop out and discard the seeds. Arrange the halves in a large baking dish, flesh-side up.
• Whisk together the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the oil and the maple syrup in a cup. Brush the flesh side of the squash halves with some of the maple mixture and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Put the squash flesh-side down in the baking dish, then brush the skin side with maple mixture and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Roast until the squash is fork-tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Poke the inside of the squash halves with a fork and brush generously with more of the maple mixture.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the quinoa, curry powder, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt and stir until the spices are toasted, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups water and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in the cranberries, remaining maple mixture, half of the parsley and half of the pistachios.
• Stuff the squash halves with the quinoa and sprinkle with the remaining parsley and pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature.

VEGAN STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400F (200C).
• Divide the oil over the 4 squash halves and use your fingers or a brush to spread the oil over the squash flesh. Bake cut side facing down on a baking pan for 25 - 35 minutes until the squash is fork-tender.
• Heat the oil in a large high sided pan or pot over medium-high heat. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent and just begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the quinoa and vegetable broth and cover with a lid. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes until the vegetable broth is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked.
• Once the quinoa is cooked, stir in all of the remaining ingredients, the nuts or seeds, cranberries, thyme, sage, pepper, cinnamon, and add salt to taste. I found the vegetable broth I used had enough salt so I did not need extra, but taste your dish and add more if needed. Remove from heat.
• Divide the quinoa mixture evenly among the acorn squash halves, packing it into the well of the squash. You may have extra quinoa leftover. Serve hot, and garnish with more fresh thyme or sage as desired. See notes for making this dish ahead of time.

VEGAN STUFFED ACORN SQUASH (WITH WILD RICE FILLING)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 °F.
• Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out all its seeds, then wash the squash pieces.
• Use a fork to poke holes in the squash's orange flesh. Poke all around the squash (edges and center).
• Place the squash halves on a baking tray lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for easy clean up.
• Brush the orange flesh of your squash with oil.
• Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the squash is tender throughout.
• While the squash roasts, prepare your wild rice filling.
• Wash and chop all the wild rice stuffing vegetables (onions, celery, carrots). Chop the parsley and walnuts.
• Warm some olive oil in a large pan.
• Add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until they start to soften.
• Next, add the lentils, Herbamare, garlic powder, ground sage, dry thyme, ground nutmeg and celery seed.
• Stir until everything is well combined.
• Add the wild rice and vegetable broth to your pan. Place a lid on the pan and cook until your rice absorbs all the liquid (about 15 minutes for my wild rice blend; cook your rice to package directions).
• When your rice is fully cooked, add the cranberries, walnuts and parsley. Stir to combine, then remove your pan from heat.
• Taste this mixture and add extra salt or black pepper to taste.
• Scoop your wild rice filling evenly amongst the pieces of squash.
• Top with extra chopped parsley if desired.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
• Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each squash to create a flat edge, so the squash can stand up (don't cut too much or it will leave a hole). Cut stems off the tops if they protrude. Now cut each squash horizontally in half. Scoop out the membranes and seeds inside of the squash & discard. (*photos are in post above)
• Place the squash on a rimmed baking sheet, cut-side up. Brush the inside with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. (*Optional: lightly brush with maple syrup to add a subtle sweetness) Roast the squash for about 35-45 minutes, or until tender (test with a fork).
• Add the quinoa and broth to a medium pot. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to maintain a low simmer. Cover with lid and cook until liquid is gone and quinoa is fluffy. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes to cook. Remove from heat and fluff with fork. Set aside.
• In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery, apples until softened. About 5-6 minutes
• Add the mushrooms, cranberries, garlic, sage, thyme, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Sauté about 7-9 minutes, or until mushrooms and cranberries are tender (if food sticks to the pan, you can splash a little vegetable broth or white wine to deglaze).
• Remove from heat and add the cooked quinoa. Combine well and taste for seasoning, add more as needed.
• When the squash is ready, fill with the stuffing mixture. (*optional: drizzle/spritz top of stuffing with oil for a crispier top). Place in oven and bake 10-15 minutes, until the quinoa is lightly browned & crispy.

VEGAN STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Place the uncut acorn squash in the oven directly on the center rack. Turn on the oven to preheat to 400°F. Allow the squash to remain in the oven while it heats up. Once the oven reaches 400°, carefully remove the squash using oven mitts. Allow the squash to rest until they are cool enough to handle. Then slice each squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Discard the seeds (or save for roasting later.)
• Place the squash on a baking sheet (line with parchment paper for easier cleanup) cut side down. Bake the squash for 40 minutes until the squash are nearly tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully turn the squash halves over so they are cup side up.
• Meanwhile, prepare the quinoa. First rinse the quinoa with cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Add the quinoa and 1 cup of water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the water has been absorbed.Or to prepare in an Instant Pot pressure cooker, place the rinsed quinoa and ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water in the liner. Close and lock the lid. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.Set aside the cooked quinoa.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion and saute until soft and slightly translucent.
• Add the carrots and celery and saute until soft.
• Then add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Next add the cooked quinoa, chickpeas, tomatoes, lemon juice, and thyme and stir to combine.
• Cook until all the ingredients are heated through and the tomatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.
• Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.
• Spoon the quinoa mixture into the squash halves. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the squash are tender.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut each squash in half from the stem to the bottom tip and remove the seeds with a spoon.
• Sprinkle each half with salt and pepper and place cut side down on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until you can easily pierce with a fork.
• When the squash has about 15 minutes left, add the celery, garlic and onion to a skillet with a few tablespoons of water. Cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes until softened.
• Add the apple and herbs, mix and cook for 4-5 more minutes. If the pan starts to get dry, add a few more splashes of water.
• Add the cooked brown rice, cranberries and pecans and cook for 4-5 more minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Once the squash is cooked, remove from the oven and fill each half with the stuffing.
• Serve right away topped with chopped fresh parsley. Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days.

VEGAN STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Cut Acorn Squash lengthwise (from stem to tip) using a strong knife. Discard the seeds in the compost or roast them. You can leave the stem or remove.
• Set the acorn squash cut side up. Add olive oil into the hollow inside (that looks like a cup). Using a silicone brush or your fingers, distribute the oil all over the cut surfaces.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the cut edges and the hollow insides.
• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Place the acorn squash in a baking tray (no parchment paper needed - save the planet!) and bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove and test by inserting a fork into the flesh, especially around the edges to make sure every part is roasted. Otherwise, bake for an additional 10 minutes.
• Remove the baked acorn squash and set aside. You can serve this immediately, or cool and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• While the acorn squash is baking, wash quinoa. Add vegetable broth (or water) and cook until done. Fluff with a fork.
• While the quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a pan. Add ginger, garlic and jalapeno and sauté until they brown lightly.
• Add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Add finely chopped red bell peppers and salt and stir fry for 2 minutes.
• Wash and drain canned garbanzo beans. You can also soak the dry garbanzos for 8-12 hours and cook them. Get all your stuffing portions prepped: cooked and fluffed quinoa, garbanzo beans and prepped veggies. In a bowl, mix cooked quinoa, stir fried vegetables and garbanzo beans. Mix well and taste for salt.
• Add stuffing into the "cups" of the baked acorn squash. Sprinkle finely chopped parsley and serve.
• To eat, use a serrated spoon so you can get the flesh of the acorn squash along with the stuffing. Yum!

VEGAN STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375˚F.
• Slice each squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Brush each half with olive oil (about 2 tbsp total between all 6 halves) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set face down on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until fork tender.
• Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions.
• Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté shallots for 4-5 minutes, then add garlic and celery and cook for an additional few minutes. Add mushrooms and spinach.
• Once mushrooms are cooked down, add cooked rice, apples, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sage, thyme, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook for 4-5 minutes, until apples and cranberries soften. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
• Reduce oven heat to 350˚F. Remove the squash and carefully flip over. Fill each squash cavity with rice mixture. Return to oven for additional 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

MEXICAN STUFFED ACORN SQUASH {VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE}

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Rub insides of squash with oil and place face down on baking sheet. Use the "roast" function and set timer to 25 minutes. Then flip the squash and cook again for another 10 minutes. Remove squash from oven when done and flip back over.
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, add chopped bell peppers to skillet and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add black beans, corn, red onion, quinoa and spices. Stir until combined and allow mixture to heat through, then garnish with cilantro.
• In a small blender or food processor, add all sauce ingredients and blend until smooth, adding more milk or water for desired consistency.
• Place acorn squash halves on plate and add quinoa mixture to bowls. Serve with cilantro lime avocado sauce and enjoy!