Thanksgiving might be next week, but here on Oh My Veggies, it starts today! I’m collaborating again with Rikki Snyder, whom you may remember from my Butternut Squash Flatbread post. Rikki is a professional photographer and her work never fails to amaze me. So like the last collaboration we did, I developed the recipes and Rikki did the photos.
(Sidenote: when I told my husband this was like the food blog equivalent of Transformers, where the different parts go together and create something bigger and better, he corrected me with a sigh: “No, that’s Voltron. Voltron. Not Transformers.” And then he shook his head in disappointment.)
Stuffed squash often makes an appearance at vegetarian Thanksgiving meals, but usually it’s in the form of squash halves, stuffed with delicious things like quinoa or rice or other grains and veggies. I decided to do rings instead. Why rings?
Well, first of all, there is so much food available on Thanksgiving. And a whole squash half (whole half! That’s like jumbo shrimp, right?!) is a lot of food on top of all the sides and other yummy things you definitely don’t want to miss out on. It’s also a bit unwieldy to eat. Rings are a little more manageable, don’t you think? Easier to eat and they don’t take up nearly as much room on your plate.
And second, while these squash rings make a wonderful main dish for vegetarians, they also make a great side dish for the meat eaters. No one is going to add a ginormous squash half to his or her plate on top of turkey and all the sides, but a squash ring is a different story. Everyone has room for a squash ring!
So yeah, I’m pretty jazzed about these stuffed acorn squash rings. They’re stuffed with quinoa, apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, onions, and sage, which is a lot, but it works, I promise. Because there’s no bottom to the rings, I added a little egg and cheddar to the quinoa mixture to help bind the filling so it doesn’t fall out when transferring from the baking sheet to serving platter.
I originally developed this recipe for delicata squash; if you’re able to find large ones, 2 or 3 of those could be used in place of acorn squash. (Because I couldn’t consistently find large delicata squash, I decided to use acorn squash instead.) And any relative of acorn squash would work as well, like the sweet dumpling or yellow acorn.
Today Rikki is posting my recipe for Green Beans & Caramelized Shallots. It’s a healthier, fresher alternative to green bean casserole. Be sure to stop by her blog and check it out!
Roasted acorn squash rings stuffed with quinoa, apples, walnuts, cheese, sage, and onions.
Ingredients
- olive oil mister or cooking spray
- 1/2 c. quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
- 1 c. vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- 1/2 c. shredded sharp, aged or smoked cheddar cheese
- 1/4 c. dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp. chopped sage
- 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts
- salt + pepper to taste
- 1 egg, whisked
- 3 small acorn or sweet dumpling squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices (remove seeds & guts)
- 1 tbsp. butter, melted
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray or oil and place squash rings on sheets.
- Cook quinoa in broth according to package directions. Cool slightly.
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion. Cook about 10 minutes, or until onion is just beginning to brown. Add apple and cook about 5 minutes more, until apple is softened. Allow to cool slightly.
- Combine quinoa, apple and onion mixture, cheese, cranberries, sage, and walnuts in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in egg.
- In a small bowl, combine butter and maple syrup. Brush tops and insides of squash rings with butter mixture; season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff quinoa filling into the center of each squash ring, pressing down to fit as much stuffing as possible without overflowing. Spray centers of squash rings with oil or cooking spray. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and squash is tender.
Okay, so these are stunning. And brilliant. Voltron indeed (I have no idea what Voltron is and try to avoid Transformers altogether, but I love that your husband schooled you about it)!
This is really just the greatest idea. Quinoa so the vegetarians can have a nice complete protein … and the smaller size really is just perfect for an already-piled-high Thanksgiving plate. And, dude! Would these totally work in a hamburger bun for a Thanksgiving-leftovers sandwich, veggie style?? I always feel so left out of that whole turkey sandwich business!
Okay, I’m excited about them too.
I think they would work in a sandwich! They are definitely good with a little cranberry sauce on them, although I’m not sure what else you could pile on. Stuffing? Maybe?
Mmmm, I think my daughter and I would absolutely love these. They’re beautiful and they sound like heaven .
Oooh – such a good idea to make rings! I can think of so many things to stuff inside of them. These look great!
There are so many possibilities! I also thought about stuffing them with stuffing.
I love the idea of stuffed squash rings. A whole half
just seems like too much for one sitting.
Yeah, when I make stuffed squash like that, it’s a whole meal. And let’s face it, I am just too much of a glutton to sit there with my whole squash half while everyone else eats mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc.
Hah, that Transformers thing sounds like something my husband would say. Hey, if I started referencing Jem (80s girl cartoon), I doubt he’d have a clue either.
Your squash looks delicious! I love the combination of orange squash with quinoa. I’ve actually never tried acorn, so I’ll have to give this a go!
I love acorn squash! The skin gets crispy when you roast it and the flavor is really mild–a little less sweet than butternut. Oh, and now I have the Jem theme song stuck in my head. Truly outrageous!
These are so pretty! What a great idea:)
Such lovely pictures! I cannot wait to try this!
I love this! And the photos are stunning. Such a great Thanksgiving recipes, who needs turkey when squash is this amazing
Such a fab idea to cut these in to rings so more people can share! This looks delicious! I can’t believe Thanksgiving is only in 10 days!!!
This is a 5-star stuffed winter squash! Fantastic clicks too.
Oh my, another to make item. I think tonight would work, I have everything but the cheese.
I hope you like them!
I think you could get away with using a different cheese (Parmesan maybe?) too…
I had to change it a bit due to not having everything I needed. I used chicken stock, spaghetti squash and acorn squash and thyme. They were delicious! I’m having leftovers today and I can’t wait!
Yay, I’m glad to hear that!
I almost wee’d myself about the Voltron/Transformers reference because that would so be my Mr!
These look wonderful!! I’m wanting to make quinoa salad for a Christmas gathering so this might be a good recipe to keep in my back pocket!
Minus the egg, the filling would make a really good salad! I was tasting it to get the seasoning right and I had that thought too.
Wow…simply wow! These look scrumptious and so delicious! They would be perfect for vegetarians. Thanks for sharing!
I almost had a panic attack when I read the first sentence! I haven’t even started to think about what I’m going to do for Thanksgiving! But dear lord, these are so beautiful and impressive! I am very excited to use some of your recipes for thanksgiving!
It really seemed to creep up on us this year, didn’t it? It seems like November just started, but Thanksgiving is next week!
And then Christmas a month after that… o.o
This is how you know you’re getting old. Because when you’re young, it feels like these holidays can’t come soon enough. And then you get older and you wonder how they snuck up on you so fast. :/
Ahhh they look like little cogs. That brings out the nerd in me and makes her very happy. “Watchmaker’s Stuffed Squash’
I didn’t even notice that, but they do!
They almost look too pretty to eat!!
Oh wow, gorgeous and I love this idea.
LOL! If it makes you feel better, I didn’t even realize Voltron was the correct answer until you pointed it out. I love the idea of rings! All Thanksgiving sides should come portioned so elegant and small. And just gorgeous photography by Rikki.
I guess now that I think about it, it makes sense–Transformers transform into something else. Oops.
I love the idea of stuffed rings instead of an entire squash half – much better for Thanksgiving so you can sample all the other wonderful holiday dishes!
These are beautiful! Makes my mouth water just looking at the photos. Yummy! Wonderful idea, but you always have such great ideas. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so thrilled with how Rikki’s photos turned out! She has a way of making everything look absolutely delicious.
so i’ve never had acorn squash. ever. but, i love all things butternut squash and i certainly love all vegetables (i do not discriminate) – so im sure i would love it! maybe i’ll make this for thanksgiving?!?
If you like butternut squash, I think you’d like acorn squash too. The flavor is just a bit milder. On its own, it’s a little bland, but when it’s seasoned and combined with other things (like a quinoa filling!), it’s fabulous.
I’m jazzed too! Can’t wait to give these a try!
Oh girl, these are so pretty! What a fabulous Thanksgiving offering!
This is awesome! I love it!
This is such a good idea, making rings instead of whole or half pumpkins. I am having girls over tonight, and I plan on doing a meat-stuffed-hokaido-version with fresh cranberries, really hope it’s gonna work out! But thank for the inspiration, and what a lovely blog you’ve got
I love Hokkaido pumpkin! That would be perfect for a stuffed squash recipe. I hope your recipe turns out well!