Orange Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash with Pecans
Seasonal acorn squash stuffed with quinoa. pecans and cranberries is my idea of a healthy vegetarian meal. This recipe for orange quinoa stuffed acorn squash is easy to prepare and a real feast. I love the sweetness of the squash and the nuttiness of the quinoa.
Quinoa is addictively delicious. Quinoa is usually treated like a grain or starch, cooking up like rice or pasta in a fraction of the time.
Choose squash that are heavy for their size and have a hard, deep-colored rind free of blemishes or moldy spots.
Once the seeds are removed, winter squash can be baked, steamed or simmered.
Ingredients
- 2 small acorn squashes, halved length-wise, seeds removed
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Rub squash flesh with 3 tablespoons oil and place face up on baking sheet. Roast 30-35 minutes or until flesh is easily pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and cool.
- Meanwhile, in saucepan bring broth and orange juice to a boil; stir in quinoa, lower heat and simmer, covered until ready. When quinoa is done cooking, turn off heat.
- In medium pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery and sauté until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and sauté an additional 1 minute.
- Add onion mixture, cranberries and pecans to cooked quinoa and toss until combined; add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill each squash half with quinoa mixture. Drizzle with a bit of maple syrup before serving, if desired.
Category: Healthy Choices, Main Dishes, Recipe Index, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
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I'm Marie Poulin, thank you for stopping by my kitchen. I favor fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. I am passionate about Healthy Food!
What happened to your “save recipe” button? I was able to save recipes in the past but now I can only print it?
Cat, we redesign my blog and change the plug in for the recipes. I did send a request to my web designer this morning to find out if we can add another “save button”! Sorry for the inconvenient.Thanks Marie
Thanks for your beautiful blog! I’ve already flagged several recipes and look forward to trying them. I love how healthy they are.
Thanks again,
Karen
This is very sweet of you! Thank you Karen!
Looks beautiful!
Thanks Anita!
Made it for the first time today as is. Delicious and I love how it fills you up without making you feel heavy afterwards. Thanks for sharing the recipe Marie. Look forward to trying out more recipes from your blog.
Cat, you are very welcome! Marie