Gourmet-Stuffed Acorn Squash

This dish is truly bursting with flavor. The wild rice mixture is filled with onions, celery, pecans, dried apricots and a plethora of spices. Serving the rice in acorn squash bowls makes it fun and gives you sweet, tender squash to enjoy after you’ve eaten the rice.

This recipe was adapted from Colleen Patrick-Goureau’s recipe in The Vegan Table.

Here’s what you need:

• 4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1 Tablespoon Earth Balance nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 5 celery stalks, diced
• 2 1/2 cups cooked whole grain wild rice mixture
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 3/4 cup dried apricots, diced
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste
  

  This dish has beautiful presentation as well as amazing taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash halves on a baking sheet, cut side down and bake for 30 minutes. When you take the squash out of the oven flip them over, to prevent them from sticking.
2. In a saute pan, heat the margarine and cook onions over medium heat. Once tender, add celery and saute for a few more minutes.
3. Remove from heat and place the onion mixture in a large bowl. Add the cooked rice, pecans, apricots, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, salt and pepper.
4. Spoon out some of the cooked squash, creating a space for the rice mixture while still leaving a nice amount on the shell. Press rice mixture into each squash, feel free to mound it up. Place leftover rice in a serving bowl as a delicious side dish.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

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