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Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

November 21, 2011 by Jeanette 22 Comments

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This recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf is a great vegetarian and vegan option for the holiday season. During the holiday season when menus are full of turkeys, hams and roasts, it can feel challenging coming up with a vegetarian or vegan main course that doesn’t feel like an after thought. These beautiful stuffed acorn squashes are elegant and colorful, and will make any guest feel special. They also happen to be gluten-free.Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

When I entertain, I like everyone to feel included and to have plenty of food to eat.  A number of years ago, we had house guests, one of whom was vegetarian. At the time, I was completely new to vegetarian cooking. Fortunately, I knew how to make some Chinese dishes using tofu, but it made me realize there was a whole world of cooking out there that I knew little about, that went way beyond tofu. You see, vegetarians hate it when they ask if there’s anything vegetarian on a menu and they are pointed to the roasted vegetables or a salad. Yes, vegetarians and vegans eat vegetables, but they need protein too.

So, I came up with this Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf as a vegetarian or vegan main course. Quinoa is a complete protein, so this elegantly presented dish could easily take the place of turkey for any vegetarian or vegan guests. Of course, once your non-vegan friends see this beautiful dish, they will want some too.

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf
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Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 3
Calories 421 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 medium acorn squash halved lengthwise, seeds removed
  • olive oil for brushing acorn squash

Quinoa Pilaf

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 1 onion finely chopped, divided
  • 1 cup quinoa rinsed well and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups mushrooms finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery finely chopped
  • 4 leaves sage minced
  • 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Brush tops and inside of squash cavity lightly with olive oil. Season lightly with salt.
  3. Roast in oven until fork tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Roasting time will depend on the size of your squash.
  4. Remove from oven and set aside.

Quinoa Pilaf

  1. While acorn squash is roasting, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan. Add half the onion and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the quinoa, broth, water and thyme, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook, covered, until liquid has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
  2. In a skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of oil, and add rest of onion, mushrooms, celery and sage. Saute until vegetables are soft and no more liquid from mushrooms remains.
  3. Toss mushroom mixture with cooked quinoa, along with pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Stuff acorn squash halves with Quinoa Pilaf.
Nutrition Facts
Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf
Amount Per Serving
Calories 421 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 501mg22%
Potassium 680mg19%
Carbohydrates 54g18%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 415IU8%
Vitamin C 6.8mg8%
Calcium 58mg6%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you like this vegetarian/vegan main course, you might also like:

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Millet and Black Beans

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers - stuffed with millet and black beans, and topped with roasted red pepper carrot pesto - these are vegan-adaptable and gluten-free

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Filed Under: dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy choices, Holidays, side dishes, Thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian, whole grain Tagged With: acorn squash, allergy-free, allergy-friendly recipe, gluten-free main course, gluten-free pilaf, holidays, meatless, quinoa, thanksgiving, vegan main course, vegan pilaf

« Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Spiced Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Turkey Soba Noodle Soup Recipe »

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    November 21, 2011 at 7:03 am

    I know my family is doing absolutely nothing to prepare for my new vegetarian-ness so if I want to be able to eat something, I have to make it myself! I would be SO incredibly happy to gobble this down on T-Day!

    Reply
  2. Jeanette says

    November 21, 2011 at 7:14 am

    Joanne – I know you will make something absolutely fabulous for Thanksgiving,and I bet your your family will so impressed they’ll want some and wonder what this vegetarian-ness is all about. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  3. Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says

    November 21, 2011 at 8:02 am

    these are fabulous. Putting this on my Facebook fan page today

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      November 21, 2011 at 8:54 am

      Thanks Alison, and thanks for sharing this! Happy Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  4. juniakk @ mis pensamientos says

    November 21, 2011 at 8:57 am

    i love the quinoa pilaf with acorn squash! my favorite ingredients in one dish. 🙂 i seriously eat quinoa EVERY DAY. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      November 21, 2011 at 10:54 am

      Junia – you are a quinoa girl!

      Reply
  5. Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says

    November 21, 2011 at 10:10 am

    Those are GORGEOUS! And I know they would taste just as good as they look.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      November 21, 2011 at 10:55 am

      Thanks Sommer! Cooking the quinoa in broth definitely bumps up the flavor in the stuffing, and I just loved the color of the acorn squash I found at the market.

      Reply
  6. Cookin' Canuck says

    November 21, 2011 at 10:20 am

    Even though I’m not vegetarian, I think I would be begging for one of these pretty stuffed squash. I’m bookmarking this for a future meatless meal.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      November 21, 2011 at 10:54 am

      Thanks Dara – this is a nice meatless entree – I think next time I might even add some chestnuts or lentils.

      Reply
  7. Squash Blossom Babies says

    November 21, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    That looks wonderful! A perfect treat for Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  8. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

    November 21, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    Red quinoa isn’t all that easy to find in my part of the world, so last time I saw it in a gourmet shop, I bought a good supply. The color seems to perk up every dish it’s in, even though you could substitute regular quinoa with no change in the flavor.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      November 21, 2011 at 4:02 pm

      I know red and black quinoa don’t taste any different than white, but I’m the same as you, the color is so much more vibrant. I’ve seen it at Trader Joe’s if you have one where you live.

      Reply
  9. kyleen says

    November 21, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    This looks delicious! I didn’t know there was even such a thing as red quinoa!

    Reply
  10. Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says

    November 21, 2011 at 11:24 pm

    What an elegant side, dish so pretty!

    Reply
  11. Kim - Cook It Allergy Free says

    November 21, 2011 at 11:43 pm

    Oh my are those squash beautiful. I, too, always have a couple meat free options for some of our guests. And I also always make one of my stuffings sans the sausage. I hope you and your family have a wonderful gluten-free and dairy-free Thanksgiving! 😉

    Reply
  12. Laura @ GFPantry says

    November 22, 2011 at 10:35 am

    Beautiful pictures! This recipe looks amazing!

    Reply
  13. Kelly says

    November 22, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    Vegetarian or not, I just love the ingredients in this dish – and the red quinoa looks so pretty inside the squash… Happy Thanksgiving Jeanette. May your family have a blessed time together.

    Reply
  14. France @ Beyond The Peel says

    November 22, 2011 at 11:22 pm

    What a beautiful dish. Heck we’d eat this any day of the week. We definitely wouldn’t wait for a special holiday for this dish to make it to our table. The best part is that is simple enough for the everyday but elegant enough for guests..

    Reply
  15. marla says

    November 25, 2011 at 11:12 pm

    Jeanette, this is such a wonderful way to prepare quinoa. Love the acorn squash bowls 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      November 26, 2011 at 8:37 am

      Thanks Marla, acorn squash are so pretty, i love to use them as bowls for this quinoa pilaf or for soup.

      Reply
  16. Petra Maria Scheid says

    December 16, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    looks delicous – i m vegetarien mostly
    so ty for inspiration

    Reply

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