Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa
This stuffed acorn squash with quinoa recipe is hearty, delicious and full of fall flavors. The savory stuffing is made out of cranberry apple quinoa salad, which pairs beautifully with the roasted sweet acorn squash.
Ingredients
- 3 acorn squash halved, stems and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 honeycrisp apple diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 leek white part sliced
- 4 cups kale chopped (about 6 leaves)
- ⅓ cup dried craberries no sugar added
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked and rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 4 oz goat cheese, divided in half optional
- ⅓ cup walnuts chopped
For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Drizzle the acorn squash with a little bit of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Use your hands to rub in the oil and spices, then flip the squash over so it is cut side down on a baking sheet.
- Bake the acorn squash for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your squash. You should be able to easily pierce the squash with a fork when it is done baking. Remove the squash from the oven when it’s done, but leave the oven on.
- Cook the quinoa while the squash is roasting. Add the quinoa and vegetable broth (or water) to a medium saucepan. Bring the quinoa to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow the quinoa to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, leek, apple, cranberries, ¼ teaspoon of salt and cinnamon. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add the kale in by the handful, adding more as it begins to cook down. Sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring every so often. Turn off the heat when the apple can be pierced by a fork, but still has a solid texture.
- Combine the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl. Whisk together until smooth.
- Add the cooked quinoa, sautéed apple and veggies, dried cranberries, walnuts and half of the crumbled goat cheese (2 oz) into the large bowl.
- Gently toss together until the ingredients are combined. Taste the quinoa stuffing and add salt and black pepper if needed.
- At this point the acorn squash should be out of the oven. Flip over the squash so the cut side is facing up. Scoop about ½ cup of the quinoa mixture into the hollow of each squash. Add about 1 tablespoon of crumbled goat cheese on top of each squash (optional). Put the squash back in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before digging in.
Notes
- Prepare your produce first! Try to wash, chop and measure out most of the ingredients before you start cooking, that way you aren’t scrambling to get it done in the mist of cooking.
- Try to buy acorn squash that is the same size so it cooks evenly.
- Make the quinoa salad a day in advance if desired.
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