Stuffed Acorn Squash
Stuffed Acorn Squash
A filling Fall favorite with feel good veggies, beans, nuts, and rice.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Servings: 2-4
INGREDIENTS
2 acorn squash
1 can chickpeas
4 oz. feta cheese
1 lemon
½ cup rice
¼ cup nuts
¼ cup chopped dried cherries
1 garlic clove
1 bunch chopped green onion
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
½ tsp. salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a large non-serrated knife, carefully cut the acorn squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits, leaving as much of the squash flesh as possible. Leave the rind on to maintain its shape while baking.
- Rub the flesh of the squash with olive oil and salt. Bake the squash face-down on a baking sheet for 30-45 minutes. You’ll know the squash is ready when the interior of the squash is soft, or a fork easily goes through it.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, mince the garlic, and chop the dried cherries and green onion. Make sure to remove the onion’s bulb and any brown bits at the top.
- Cook the rice, using 1 cup of water for a ½ cup of rice.
- When the rice has finished cooking, remove from heat. Fluff the rice with a fork, add dried cherries, and cover again to let steam for 3-5 minutes.
- After the rice has cooled a bit, mix in the nuts, green onion, garlic, chickpeas, lemon juice, feta, oregano, and salt to taste.
- Spoon mixture into roasted squash and bake for 15 more minutes at 400. Enjoy!
CARROT TIPS
- Squash cutting tip: The first slice of squash can be intimidating. Use a long knife with a wider blade (not a steak knife or serrated knife). Slicing through the point where the squash met the vine may be harder than the rest. Have faith! Once the knife passes through the skin of the squash, cutting becomes much easier.
- Sharing season: If you’re in a smaller household and the recipe is too large for you, consider inviting a neighbor to dinner tonight!
- Meal prep: You can make the dish and freeze one of the squashes, stuffing and all, for an easy weekend reheat.
- Try substituting barley or quinoa for the rice, lentils for the chickpeas, or your favorite dried fruit for the cherries – you can stuff squash with anything!
- Save the seeds! You can roast squash seeds for a healthy, easy snack. Wash the scooped seeds and toss them in a teaspoon or so of oil with salt and pepper to taste (add other spices like cinnamon or cayenne, too!). Spread the seeds flat across a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or so, until the seeds are a light golden brown. Store in a Tupperware or Ziploc bag.