Description
This Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe offers a delicious and hearty vegetarian meal featuring roasted acorn squash halves filled with a flavorful mixture of roasted mushrooms, onions, apples, feta cheese, nuts, dried cranberries, and a tangy maple apple cider dressing. Perfect as a comforting fall or winter dish, it combines sweet, savory, and nutty flavors with a touch of fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Squash
- 4 medium acorn squash (halved vertically and seeded)
- Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt (for sprinkling)
Roasted Vegetables
- 10 ounces cremini mushrooms (stemmed and quartered)
- ¼ cup fresh sage leaves (roughly chopped, plus more small sage leaves for garnish)
- ½ medium red onion (coarsely chopped)
- Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
- Sea salt (¼ teaspoon plus more for sprinkling)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Filling
- 3 cups cooked brown rice/wild rice blend (from 1 cup uncooked rice)
- 1 large apple (diced)
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup toasted pecans (chopped)
- ¼ cup toasted pepitas
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Dressing
- 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove (grated)
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare squash: Preheat your oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly drizzle each acorn squash half with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and rub the seasoning in with your hands to evenly coat the surface. Place them cut side down on one of the prepared baking sheets.
- Roast acorn squash: Roast the squash in the preheated oven for 25 to 40 minutes, until the flesh is fork-tender. The exact time depends on the size of your squash, so check for softness to determine doneness.
- Prepare and roast mushrooms and onions: On the second baking sheet, place cremini mushrooms and chopped sage on one side, and chopped red onion on the other. Drizzle both with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat, then spread in an even layer. Roast in the oven for 18 to 23 minutes, until the mushrooms and onions are tender and browned around the edges.
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, grated garlic, sea salt, Dijon mustard, and several grinds of black pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuously whisking until the dressing is fully emulsified and smooth.
- Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, combine the cooked brown rice/wild rice blend, roasted mushrooms and onions, diced apple, crumbled feta cheese, chopped parsley, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, toasted pepitas, and sea salt. Add half of the dressing to this mixture and toss well to evenly coat all ingredients.
- Assemble stuffed squash: While the roasted acorn squash halves are still warm, brush the flesh with more of the dressing and season with additional salt and freshly ground pepper as needed. Spoon the rice and vegetable filling into the squash cavities, filling them generously.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish each stuffed squash with small fresh sage leaves. Serve immediately, accompanied by the remaining dressing on the side for extra flavor enhancement.
Notes
- You can substitute wild rice or use only brown rice based on your preference.
- To save time, you can roast the mushrooms, herbs, and onions while the squash is roasting.
- Toasting the pecans and pepitas enhances their flavor but you can skip this step if short on time.
- This recipe is vegetarian and can be made gluten free if you verify all ingredients, particularly the mustard and vinegar.
- Leftover stuffing can be refrigerated and used as a side or added to salads.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
