Happy October! I haven’t seen you guys in over a month (whoops!) because, well, life has been busy. Between starting a new job and also doing freelance writing for several clients, blogging has taken a back seat for a few weeks. But now that I’ve gotten into a groove with things, you can expect to see new recipes weekly again! Starting with this delicious stuffed acorn squash recipe. Perfect for a cozy fall meal or a vegetarian Thanksgiving entree.
My mom was here in San Diego visiting from Texas this past weekend, and we made these stuffed acorn squashes together. She was a great sous chef and creative consultant for the photos (thanks mama!). Come back soon, please!
While you can stuff these cuties with whatever you’d like, I highly recommend this combo of orzo, kale, almonds, and goat cheese. Especially the goat cheese – it’s a non-negotiable! However, you could use a dairy-free cheese if you’re vegan or allergic to dairy.
stuffed acorn squash tips:
- Microwave the squash first. Pierce a small slit in the squash (where you are going to cut it later) and microwave for 3-5 minutes. This helps to soften the skin to enable easier cutting, as well as shortens the overall bake time. Win-win.
- Cut the squash lengthwise (rather than cutting the tops off). This ensures you get maximum squash bites per person and more room for stuffing.
- Bake the squash on its own first (cut-side down), then add the orzo stuffing, then add back into the oven for 7-10 minutes.
- If your orzo mixture seems a tad dry, throw a splash of white wine and a double splash of broth into it.
the recipe!
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Orzo and Kale
Ingredients
- 4 small acorn squash
- 1/2 of a yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 cups kale raw, de-stemmed
- 12 oz orzo dry
- 2 tsp salt divided
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil divided
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 cup vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp white wine
- 6 oz goat cheese crumbled
- 1/2 cup almonds slivered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut a small slit in each acorn squash and microwave for 3-5 minutes.
- Once cooled, cut the squash in half lengthwise.
- Spray squash with avocado oil and place cut-side down on parchment paper; bake for 35-40 minutes, until squash can be pierced easily.
- Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water to boil for orzo. When the water is boiled, add the orzo and cook to package instructions; drain.
- Heat a large pan with avocado oil on medium-high heat. Add diced yellow onion, minced garlic, and salt; sweat the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add chopped kale; cook down for 7-8 minutes.
- Add cooked orzo to onion and kale mix. If dry, add the white wine to the pan and cook off the wine. Then add the vegetable broth and mix well. Add almonds, goat cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep some goat cheese to sprinkle on top.
- Once squash are cooked, spoon in orzo mixture to each squash cavity. Sprinkle additional goat cheese on top.
- Bake again for 7-10 minutes.
Happy squashing, friends! Tell me, what would you stuff into your acorn squash this fall?? Always looking for new ideas 🙂
lookin’ for more squash things?
Check out my Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats for a variation of “things-stuffed-in-squash”, or Cookie and Kate’s take on Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash.
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- Vegan Red Pesto Recipe (Pesto Rosso) - February 24, 2021
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