Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Pears, and Pecans Recipe: A healthy and tasty meatless meal is stuffed acorn squash with quinoa, pear, pecan, dried cranberry, and goat cheese. There are fewer calories in this meatless dinner meal, but it tastes great and will make you feel full.
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Pears, and Pecans Recipe
Ingredients
Roasted Acorn Squash:
- 2 acorn squash, halved
- 4 Tbsp avocado Oil, or olive oil
- 4 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Quinoa stuffing:
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- Zest of 1 orange
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice, 1/2 orange, juiced
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, or avocado oil
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 large ripe pear, or apple, chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled*
Stuffed Acorn Squash Ingredients in Details:
Acorn Squash: The star of the show here, sweet acorn squash gets roasted then stuffed with delicious ingredients for a lovely side dish or light dinner. Be sure to use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the squash, because the tough skin is hard to get through otherwise.
Olive Oil: We drizzle olive oil over the squash to protect it from burning as the squash bakes. We also use olive oil for dressing the quinoa stuffing.
Honey: To make the squash even more delicious, we drizzle it with honey and sprinkle it with cinnamon. This turns the already tasty veggie into an actual dreamboat.
Quinoa: Used to stuff the squash, quinoa is a seed that contains all nine essential amino acids. It has a light and fluffy texture and is a good source of plant-based protein. If you aren’t a fan of quinoa, replace it with wild rice or brown rice.
Orange Zest and Orange Juice: Orange zest and fresh orange juice are used as part of the dressing to bring citrus flavor to the sweet roasted acorn squash.
Pear (or Apple): One large ripe pear or apple gets chopped up and mixed into the quinoa for a burst of sweet flavor and crisp texture.
Dried Cranberries: Adding sweet and tangy flavor to the meal, dried cranberries bring a pop of excitement to this delicious recipe.
Ground Cinnamon: A dash of cinnamon reminds us we’re experiencing a fall frenzy in our mouths.
Pecans: Adding nutty flavor and crunchy texture to the delicious quinoa, we need some raw pecans. Walnuts, pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds also work here. The combination of nuts, pear, and the citrus dressing yields nutty fall flavor.
Goat Cheese (or Feta Cheese): Tangy, creamy goat cheese or feta cheese goes in for that delightful cheesy deliciousness. Skip it if you don’t do cheese.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season the squash and quinoa with salt and pepper to your personal taste.
Optional Customizations:
- Cook up some sweet Italian sausage or pork sausage to mix in with the quinoa mixture if you’re a meat lover.
- Replace the honey in the roasted squash with brown sugar.
- If you have fresh herbs like fresh parsley, fresh thyme, or rosemary on hand, feel free to add some into the quinoa mixture.
- Make this recipe vegan, paleo, and dairy-free by omitting the goat cheese.
Now that we are familiar with the basic ingredients, let’s make this hearty vegetarian recipe!
Instructions
Roast the Acorn Squash:
- Warm the oven up to 375 degrees F. Cut each acorn squash in half lengthwise and off at the ends.
- Take the seeds and rotten parts out of each half. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the meat of each half to cover it lightly. Put one or two tablespoons of honey in the middle of each half of the acorn squash. Add cinnamon and kosher salt to the squash. Fill it up.
- Roast the acorn squash in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it is very soft when poked with a fork. Place the squash cut side up on a baking sheet.
Make the Quinoa Stuffing:
- Soak the quinoa in water for 10 minutes in a small pot after giving it a good rinse.
- Take the quinoa out of the pot and add 1.5 cups of water. It will take about 15 minutes of simmering after the quinoa has been boiled for a full boil. Then lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
- Mix the orange juice, olive oil, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl with a whisk.
- Move the cooked quinoa to a big bowl and pour the orange dressing over it when it’s done stirring.
- Put the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix them all together well.
- Put the amount of rice stuffing you want in each acorn squash and serve!