My vegetarian stuffed acorn squash leans savory, with garlicky crispy mushrooms piled on a quinoa, walnut and pea filling and only a small handful of cranberries for sweetness. The squash roasts at 400°F until a fork slides in, and I make the filling while it does.
A vegan stuffed acorn squash that started at the farmers’ market
I first started making stuffed acorn squash when I lived in California, and the farmers’ markets would be overflowing with more squash than I knew what to do with. I brought a few home one October and roasted them out of curiosity, and they came out sweet and buttery with barely any effort.
Because the squash is sweet on its own, I keep the filling savory. Quinoa, walnuts and peas get a squeeze of lime, and the mushrooms go on last, browned with garlic so they stay crisp on top. I roast the squash cut side down so the flesh steams tender and the edges brown, then flip it so it makes a cup for the filling.
Building a savory quinoa stuffed acorn squash
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
- Acorn squash that feels heavy for its size roasts up tender, with skin that softens enough to eat. Medium squash match the timing on the card, and small ones finish sooner.
- Quinoa gives the filling a nutty base that holds together on a fork.
- Button mushrooms are what I use, and cremini behave the same way. Shiitake give a deeper flavor if you want one.
- Walnuts add crunch and a little bitterness against the sweet squash. Pecans work too.
- Dried cranberries are the only sweet thing in the filling, so they stay at a quarter cup. Dried cherries or chopped dates can stand in.
- Fresh lime juice wakes up the quinoa. Frozen peas, thawed, are fine in place of fresh.
Shruthi’s Top Tips
How to roast acorn squash for stuffing
Most of the work here is the squash.
- Trim a thin slice off the rounded side of each half so it sits flat and doesn’t tip the filling out.
- Go by the fork. Check at 30 minutes; bigger squash take longer, and the flesh should give with no resistance before you flip and fill.
- Brown the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for the first few minutes. Crowded mushrooms steam and lose their crisp.
- Leave the skin on. Once roasted soft it’s edible, so there’s nothing to peel.
How to make vegetarian stuffed acorn squash
- Cut the acorn squash into two halves by using a sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds.
- Place the oiled squash halves cut side down and roast at 400°F for about 30 minutes.
- The squash is done when a fork slides in easily.
- Simmer the quinoa while the squash roasts
- Let it rest for 5 minutes and fluff.
- Brown the mushrooms in olive oil, then add the garlic for a minute.
- Toss the quinoa with the walnuts, cranberries, peas, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Flip the squash cut side up, fill it, top with the mushrooms, and bake 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Finish with spring onions and serve warm.
How to serve vegetarian stuffed acorn squash
Half a squash is a full plate on its own. For a heartier main, stir drained chickpeas into the filling. At Thanksgiving it holds the middle of the plate next to a sweet potato casserole you can make chunky instead of mashed, a spoon of cranberry sauce from frozen cranberries, and butternut squash with garlic and sage if you want a second squash on the table.
For a mixed table, put it out next to the turkey. It works as a main for the vegetarians and a side for everyone else, and kids who skip spring onions can have theirs plain. If you want a second centerpiece, my vegetarian mushroom wellington slices for a crowd. My meatless Thanksgiving main dishes has more options, and the sides are in my vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes.
Variations
- Swap the quinoa for wild rice or brown rice.
- Add thyme, sage or rosemary to the filling, or a pinch of cumin or smoked paprika.
- Use butternut squash halves instead of acorn; they’re bigger, so give them longer in the oven. For butternut in casserole form, there’s my butternut squash casserole.
- If the filling seems dry, add a splash of vegetable broth.
Storage and reheating
Make the quinoa filling ahead and keep it in the fridge, then roast the squash fresh on the day. I do it that way because the squash takes as long to reheat as it does to roast. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge; reheat in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Crispy Mushrooms
Equipment
- Large baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash, halved
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup fresh peas, or thawed if frozen
- ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
- spring onions, finely chopped, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Scoop out the seeds of each squash half with a spoon and score the flesh. Brush the cut sides with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the halves cut side down in a large baking dish that fits all 4 and bake for 30 minutes, until the flesh is soft when pierced with a fork. Larger squash take longer, so check at 30 minutes and keep baking if needed. Flip the halves cut side up.
- Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. Add the rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it boils, turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed, then take it off the heat, rest for 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until browned, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, toss the cooked quinoa with the walnuts, dried cranberries, peas, lime juice, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Spoon the quinoa mixture into the 4 squash halves, top each with the crispy mushrooms, and return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to heat the filling.
- Sprinkle with spring onions and serve warm.
Notes
- Roast the squash cut side down so it steams tender and browns at the edges, then flip it to fill.
- Make the quinoa filling ahead and refrigerate it, then roast the squash fresh on the day.
- Any mushrooms work here: button, cremini or shiitake.
- Stir drained chickpeas into the filling for a heartier main.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Shruthi, I’ve recently discovered your recipes and have been copying a lot of them. I plan to make your chickpea tuna salad this week. Thank you for healthy recipes. I’m not a vegan/vegetarian but I love these options. In this recipe for stuffed acorn squash, I have two questions. #1 what kind of knife do I need to cut the squash? Do I need to buy a cleaver. #2 what kind of white wine do you use for cooking? I’m always lost when a recipe calls for white wine. I have one recipe that a friend’s mom made and it was so delicious and used wine. I bought Chardonnay (recommended online) in those little bottles and it was horrible. Obviously, I need something much milder. Also, what do you think of adding brown sugar or honey to this dish?
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes, and I hope the chickpea tuna salad is a hit!
1. No cleaver needed. A large, sharp chef’s knife works fine. Acorn squash is slippery, so cut a thin slice off one side to give it a flat base that won’t roll. If it’s really tough, microwave it whole for 2 to 3 minutes first. That softens the skin just enough to make cutting much easier.
2. Most Chardonnay is aged in oak, and that flavor turns bitter when you cook it down! I usually go for a dry, crisp white like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. An inexpensive bottle is totally fine, as long as you’d be happy drinking the rest haha. If you’d rather skip wine, use vegetable broth with a squeeze of lemon!
A little sweetness could work really well here though I’ve not tested it specifically. Drizzle a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar over the squash halves before roasting. Honey works too if you’re not keeping it vegan!
Oooo, thank you so much!! That tip to cut the slice off the acorn squash so it doesn’t roll is BRILLIANT!!
Yes, I made the chickpea tuna salad two days ago. I LOVED IT!!! I added dill weed because I love it and used garlic salt. Only used 2.5 radishes but really didn’t taste them so next time I’ll use more and I want to try adding chopped celery and maybe sweet bell pepper for more veggies and crunch. I was shocked at how much 1t capers could make such a difference. I love capers anyway but they were the big flavor in this salad. The recipe calls for 1/2 lemon squeezed and it might be helpful to narrow that to a specific amount. I “knowingly” added the full amount of my half lemon, fully aware it was too much. But the lemon taste was delish so not unhappy.
Tried this 3 ways. #1 on home pride wheat with romaine, tomato slices, and cucumber. My salad was too loose because of the lemon juice (probably about 1.5-2T) so especially when I added it on top of the veggies, it fell off and I ate the sandwich with a fork – but still delish. #2 I toasted a baguette in the oven and then layered on the salad – my favorite. So good. #3 I halved an avocado this morning & scooped out enough to give myself a “boat” for the salad. Poured lime juice over avocados to keep them green & added garlic salt/pepper. Added the chopped scooped out avocado to my chickpea tuna salad and then layered into the avocado halves. Delish and so healthy!
I’m truly so happy to have this new recipe. So fast & easy to whip up something really healthy that I can use for any meal of the day! Thank you so much for the delicious recipes! Can’t wait to try more!!
Thank you so much for writing back – this made my day! If you don’t mind, I’d love if you could leave a review / rating on the chickpea tuna salad recipe itself – this really helps small creators like myself (and other readers who might be looking for tips from folks who actually tried it!) Thanks again and hope you love the squash!
I usually place squash I dish with water and foil to cover. I followed directions exactly but had hard squash 60 minutes later. What mistake did I make?
Hi Jane, I usually cook the squash for about 30-45 minutes to get tender squash (for a regular sized squash) when it’s scored and placed flesh side down in a baking sheet. Did you try scoring the squash? It’s never taken me more than 45 minutes even for a slightly larger squash.
This recipe is so delicious! I had made another version a few years back that was kind of meh, but this one is incredibly flavorful, filling, just perfect. I’ll definitely be making it again!
I made these for dinner last night and loved how they turned out! The squash was perfectly cooked, and that filling with so flavorful and hearty. Definitely recommend!
I was just looking for a nice light dinner tonight and this hit the spot! It had such a nice flavor to it and tasted wonderful!
Easy to follow recipe, looked awesome and tasted great!
Thank you so much, Katy!
I love squash so it was fun to try a new-to-me squash! Acorn might be a new favorite! Love the stuffing.
This was so tasty! I swap out the nuts for some pistachios (all I had) but we loved it. YUM!