Rustic Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 4
This dish is completely vegan (contains no animal products) and despite the absence of meat, it also contains a complete source of protein with the combination of rice and beans. For this reason it’s a very hearty and filling main course. However, if you are a meat lover, you can certainly replace the beans with ground turkey or ground sausage. With that said, I think it’s worth it to try the dish this way first, both for our health and for the environment. It will probably even be good with mushrooms for even more of a meaty feel. Also, feel free to change up the rice with quinoa or wild rice, etc, use whatever is in your pantry. The beauty of this dish is how it can use up whatever is in your cabinets, but looks like a showstopper. Impress at your next gathering with this beauty. It would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving table, especially for any vegan or vegetarian guests.
Ingredients:
1 acorn squash, cut in half
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 stalks diced celery
2 carrots, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
1/2 cup cooked cannelini beans
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 cup chopped arugula
salt
pepper
1/4 cup Pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, chopped roughly
Directions:
*If you do not already have cooked rice, I suggest cooking that first.
Preheat the oven to 400*F. Brush the inside of the acorn squash with olive oil and dust liberally with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
In the meantime, heat some oil in a saute pan and saute the onion, garlic, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt. When they start to soften add the sage, thyme and herbs de Provence. Then stir in the beans and rice and warm through. Add the greens with a little more salt and pepper and cook until the greens are wilted.
Divide the filling from the pan into the squash halves and roast for about 5-10 minutes, until everything is warmed through.
Remove from the oven and stir the pomegranate seeds into the filling and top with the toasted pine nuts.
- 1 acorn squash, cut in half
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 stalks diced celery
- 2 carrots, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
- ½ cup cooked cannelini beans
- ½ cup cooked rice
- 1 cup chopped arugula
- salt
- pepper
- ¼ cup Pomegranate seeds
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, chopped roughly
- *If you do not already have cooked rice, I suggest cooking that first.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F. Brush the inside of the acorn squash with olive oil and dust liberally with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
- In the meantime, heat some oil in a saute pan and saute the onion, garlic, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt. When they start to soften add the sage, thyme and herbs de Provence. Then stir in the beans and rice and warm through. Add the greens with a little more salt and pepper and cook until the greens are wilted.
- Divide the filling from the pan into the squash halves and roast for about 5-10 minutes, until everything is warmed through.
- Remove from the oven and stir the pomegranate seeds into the filling and top with the toasted pine nuts.
