Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe is filled with fall flavors. The squash is roasted until tender and stuffed with wild rice & chickpeas.
If one recipe could combine all of the best fall flavors this Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash is it! Acorn squash is halved and roasted until tender. It is then stuffed with a wild rice & chickpea mixture and baked until warmed through. Topped off with a tahini dressing and fresh parsley – this recipe is healthy, filling and delicious!
Step One: Wild Rice
Wild rice has an earthy flavor that is perfect for this fall recipe. Before making this recipe, be sure to run the rice under cold water to rinse it off.
To make the rice, heat some oil in a stock pot and add onion, garlic and dry seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes, then pour in a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, wild rice and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.
The cook time of the rice will vary. If the rice still isn’t cooked through after an hour, either let it steam longer (if there is still broth in the pot) or add a little more broth and cover for another 10 minutes.
Step Two: Roast the Acorn Squash
Acorn squash can be a little intimidating – they are tough little guys to prep. But I promise they are worth it! Start by trimming the top and bottom of the squash. This will allow the halves to sit flat while roasting.
Next, cut each squash in half, crosswise – they should look like cute little flowers. Scoop out the seeds and place the squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
To give the squash some extra flavor, I brushed them with a seasoned oil mixture. Place the squash halves cut-side down on the baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes. They should be super tender when you pull them out of the oven.
Step Three: Assemble & Serve
When the rice is done cooking, flip the squash over on the baking sheet and spoon the wild rice mixture into the center of each squash. Place the baking sheet back in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until everything is warmed through.
Mix together a super quick tahini sauce with tahini, lemon juice, mustard, garlic salt & pepper. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. I think the tahini adds a nice creamy kick to the sqush.
Pull the squash out of the oven, drizzle with tahini sauce and top with fresh parsley. You can either grab a spoon and eat out of the squash like a bowl. Or, go ahead and cut into it with a knife and fork. The squash skin is edible, but not everyone’s thing.
To Make Ahead of Time
Want to make the acorn squash ahead of time? No problem. Prep everything as directed through stuffing the squash with the filling. Set aside until ready to serve and place in the oven to reheat.
it shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes to reheat the squash.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
FOR THE WILD RICE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup wild rice rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 2 cups broth I used vegan chicken broth
- salt if needed
FOR THE SQUASH
- 2 acorn squash washed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- fresh parsley chopped, for serving
FOR TAHINI SAUCE
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1-2 tablespoons mustard I used half yellow and half dijon
- garlic salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- water as needed to thin
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat the oil in a stock pot and add the onion, garlic and dry seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas, wild rice and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour (see notes). Taste and add salt if needed.
- Meanwhile, cut the top and bottom tips of the squash off – so they can lay flat. Cut each squash in half crosswise. The squash should look like flowers. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard (or save for roasting later).
- Combine the olive oil and dry spices in a small bowl. Brush the inside of each squash with the oil mixture and place open-side down on the baking sheet. Place in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly while the rice finishes cooking.
- Turn the squash over on the baking sheet and stuff with the wild rice mixture. Place back in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until everything is warmed through.
- Combine the tahini sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Add water as needed to thin out the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Remove from the oven, drizzle with tahini sauce and top with fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
- If the rice is still hard after an hour, but there is still broth in the pot, cover and steam for another 10 minutes. If the rice is still hard and there’s no broth in the pot, add a couple more tablespoons of broth and cover for another 10 minutes.
- Acorn squash can be a little tricky to cut. Be sure to use a sharp knife and I like to rock my knife back and forth to cut through. Also, be sure not to cut too much off the top and bottom – just enough so it creates a flat surface.
Great idea…I have some delicatta squash I may try with this recipe 😊