This Hoisin-Glazed Stuffed Acorn Squash is so incredibly flavorful, yet so simple to make. Protein-packed chickpeas and veggies are tossed with a sweet and savory sauce, and roasted to perfection. This is an easy vegan dinner that's pretty enough to serve at a dinner party, and it makes a stunning holiday main dish too! And it's 100% vegan and vegetarian.
This recipe is a sneak preview from my brand new cookbook, Weeknight One-Pot Vegan Cooking. Be sure to check it out for more delicious and easy vegan recipe ideas.
I love squash! No doubt about that.
Some of my favorite recipes on the blog feature fall squash - like this Butternut Squash Curry, this crazy-popular Vegan Mac and Cheese with hidden veggies, or this simple Thai Pumpkin Soup. (You can grab all three in my free vegan toolkit too!)
But one thing I have not featured often enough is acorn squash! So here we go.
This stuffed acorn squash is a sneak-peek recipe from my new cookbook, Weeknight One-Pot Vegan Cooking. It's absolutely delicious. And it looks pretty impressive too, huh?
Bet you'd never guess that I made this easy vegan dinner in a single pan with just a few minutes of actual cooking involved.
It's so incredibly simple to pull together. Just mix together the healthy vegan stuffing - which consists of chickpeas, onions, scallions, and spinach.
And then toss it all in a delicious Asian-inspired hoisin glaze. It's made from hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Yum - what's not to love.
Then you simply roast these stuffed acorn squash in the oven - easy peasy.
A Showstopping Holiday Main Dish
And my favorite part? Even though this is so easy to pull together, it looks like a work of art! So it's perfect for entertaining, or a great addition to your vegetarian Thanksgiving menu or meatless Christmas dinner!
This is an excellent holiday main dish. Each squash half is its own edible serving bowl, so every guest gets a beautiful, individual plate without any carving at the table. It feels special enough to sit at the center of a festive spread, it happens to be vegan, dairy-free and nut-free, and it can easily be made gluten-free, so it works for just about everyone at the table. It also bakes in the oven while you get the side dishes ready, which is exactly what you want on a busy holiday afternoon.
In fact, this stuffed acorn squash is so good that it's included in my brand new cookbook, Weeknight One-Pot Vegan Cooking.
If you haven't checked out the book already, please do! It's loaded with 75 one-pot vegan recipes that are just perfect for busy weeknight cooking.
Every single one can be cooked up in a single pot or pan, making both cooking and cleanup a breeze. Who doesn't love that?
Check out the brand-new Weeknight One-Pot Vegan Cookbook now!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Acorn squash. Look for a heavy squash with dark green, dull skin and no soft spots. One medium squash (about 1½ to 2 pounds) serves two. Sweet dumpling, carnival or delicata squash all work in its place; just adjust the baking time for size.
- Chickpeas. One 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed. They roast right inside the squash and get lightly crisp on top. White beans or cooked lentils are good swaps.
- Hoisin sauce. This is the star of the glaze: sweet, salty and a little tangy. Many brands contain wheat, so choose a gluten-free hoisin if you need it.
- Soy sauce. Adds savory depth to the glaze. Use tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free version.
- Rice vinegar. A splash of rice vinegar balances the sweetness of the hoisin. Apple cider vinegar works in a pinch.
- Garlic and ginger paste. Fresh garlic plus jarred ginger paste keeps prep quick. You can use 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger instead.
- Red onion, scallions and spinach. These add color and freshness to the filling. Kale or chard can stand in for the spinach, and shallots for the red onion.
Helpful Tips
Cut the squash safely. Acorn squash is hard and round, so it can roll. Slice a thin sliver off one side to give it a flat base, then cut it in half from stem to tip with a large, sharp knife. If it's very firm, microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes first to soften the skin.
Give the squash a head start. Pre-baking the empty halves for 20 minutes means the flesh and the filling finish at the same time. Skip this step and you'll end up with perfectly roasted chickpeas sitting in raw squash.
Save some sauce for brushing. After you spoon the filling into the squash, brush whatever sauce is left in the bowl over the cut edges. That's what gives the squash its glossy, caramelized glaze.
Keep the halves steady. If your squash halves tip over in the baking dish, trim a little off the rounded bottoms so they sit flat and the filling stays put.
Test with a fork, not the clock. Squash sizes vary a lot. The squash is ready when a fork slides easily into the thickest part of the flesh, so larger squash may need an extra 10 to 15 minutes.
Variations
- Add a grain. Stir about 1 cup of cooked brown rice, wild rice or quinoa into the filling to make it heartier and stretch it to serve three or four.
- Make it spicy. Add a teaspoon of sriracha or chili garlic sauce to the glaze, or sprinkle the finished squash with red pepper flakes.
- Add some crunch. Top the squash with toasted sesame seeds, chopped cashews or crushed peanuts just before serving.
- Swap the protein. Cubed extra-firm tofu or shelled edamame work well in place of the chickpeas.
- Go festive. For a holiday twist, add a handful of dried cranberries and chopped pecans to the filling for pops of color and sweetness.
Serving Ideas
On a weeknight, each squash half is a complete meal on its own. Serve it with a simple green salad, steamed rice or a side of sesame green beans if you'd like something extra.
For Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, set the stuffed squash in the center of the table as the main event and surround it with classic sides like crispy vegan roast potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and apples and cranberry sauce. It also makes a great vegan main for anyone at the table who skips the turkey.
Storing & Freezing
Let any leftovers cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the squash halves in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or in the microwave for a quicker lunch. For holiday prep, you can mix the filling up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.
You can freeze the baked, stuffed squash halves wrapped tightly in foil or in a freezer container for up to 2 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat covered in a 350°F oven until hot all the way through. The squash will be a bit softer after freezing, but the flavor holds up well.
More Stuffed Squash & Holiday Mains
If you loved this recipe, here are a few more you might enjoy:
- Stuffed Acorn Squash Rings
- Chickpea Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Vegan Vegetable Wellington
- Vegan Nut Roast (Gluten-free)
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash, halved and seeds removed
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 15 oz chickpeas, one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- 2 scallions, sliced, greens and whites separated
- ⅓ cup spinach, chopped
- ⅓ cup hoisin sauce, gluten-free if desired
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free if desired
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5).
- Place the acorn squash halves cut sides up in a baking dish. Spray the cut surfaces lightly with olive oil cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes, until the flesh is just starting to soften.
- While the squash bakes, combine the chickpeas, red onion, scallion whites, spinach, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger paste in a large mixing bowl. Stir until the chickpeas are evenly coated in the sauce.
- Remove the acorn squash from the oven. Spoon the chickpea filling into the hollowed-out centers of each half. Use a pastry brush to brush some of the sauce left in the bowl over the exposed flesh of the squash. Return the squash to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until it is fork tender. (Larger squash may take longer to cook - the squash is done when a fork slides easily into the flesh.)
- Serve the squash hot, topped with the sliced scallion greens.
Amy says
This was so easy! And it looks so pretty too - totally impressed the bf.