Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberry-Walnut Sauce (plant-based)
This Stuffed Acorn Squash will be the talk of the dinner table. The gluten-free squash makes a delicious bowl for the quinoa and vegetable mixture. This warm and healthy fall dish is hearty, dairy-free, wholesome, and delicious. Enjoy it straight out of the oven with a drizzle of my Cranberry-Walnut Sauce. Yum!
Servings: 4 halves
Equipment
- 1 lined cookie sheet
- 1 saute pan
- 1 high speed blender
Ingredients
For the acorn squash:
- 2 acorn squash
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (16oz) can of Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
- ⅓ cup golden raisins
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Cranberry-Walnut sauce:
- 1 cup cranberries, cooked
- 1 (12oz) jar of marinated artichokes, drained, not rinsed
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
For the Acorn Squash:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or tinfoil.
- Prepare the acorn squash. Wash the outer skin and use a sharp knife to cut lengthwise down the center of the squash. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and strings from the centers. Place the halves cut side up on the lined cookie sheet. Drizzle each half with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I like to use my hands to cover the whole half with oil). Cook them in the oven for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of your acorn squash. Check for tenderness by poking the thickest part of the squash with a fork. If it easily goes through, they are finished cooking. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, using the same cookie sheet, add in the cranberries and roast them for 10 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, cook the dry quinoa on the stove. Add 1 cup of quinoa, and 3 cups of filtered water. and a pinch of salt to a saucepan, add the lid, and cook on high until it comes to a boil. Turn the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa has soaked up all of the water. Remove it from the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and fluff with a fork. Set it aside.
- Using the saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil over medium heat. Add in the sliced onion and a pinch of salt and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Next, add in the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil, the cooked quinoa, the strained Great Northern Beans, juice from 1/2 a lemon, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the quinoa mixture from the heat and add in the chopped walnuts and golden raisins and mix everything up.
- Now it's time to stuff the acorn squash. Leave the cooked acorn squash on the cookie sheet and remove the cranberries and set them aside. Using a large spoon, place several spoonfuls of the quinoa mixture into the center of the acorn squash. Press down with the back of your spoons to stuff it well. Definitely make sure you put extra so that it is overflowing in the center with the mixture but not falling off of the sides. Place them back into the oven for 15 minutes.
For the Cranberry-Walnut Sauce:
- While the acorn squash is finishing up in the oven, make your sauce. To a high-speed blender, add the cooked cranberries, a jar of drained marinated artichokes, garlic, walnuts, nutritional yeast, olive oil, maple syrup, water, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Blend it all up until a creamy sauce is formed. Remove the stuffed squash from the oven. Carefully transfer one-half to a plate. Drizzle with the cranberry walnut sauce, and sprinkle the tops with salt, pepper, and optional minced parsley.
Notes
My favorite way to store the squash halves is to place them in individual glass containers with lids. They will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, place the squash half on a microwavable plate with a napkin on the top. Microwave it until heated through.
To save time, feel free to make the sauce ahead of time. Or, if you do not have time to make the sauce, no problem. Just squeeze some additional fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil over the tops.