Looking for a show stopping vegetarian main dish? You've come to the right place. These roasted acorn squash rings are stuffed with quinoa, apples, walnuts, cheese, sage, and onions for a delicious and hearty entrée. Yum!
Recipe by me. Images by Rikki Snyder.
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When you're looking for a super hearty vegetarian main dish, look no further than stuffed veggies! Somehow stuffing your favorite vegetables full of delicious fillings like lentils, quinoa, or rice elevates them from a simple side dish to a hearty main meal!
And this stuffed acorn squash is no exception. These simple acorn squash rings are roasted and stuffed with the delicious flavors of apples, cheddar, and protein-packed quinoa.
This one makes a perfect meatless main dish for the holidays - both Thanksgiving or Christmas!
And if you are here looking for holiday recipe ideas, be sure to check out my new Vegan Thanksgiving Cookbook too!
Why Stuffed Acorn Squash Rings for Thanksgiving?
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 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! 🙂
Tips & Tricks
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.
You can mix things up if you want to experiment by using your own favorite combination of dried fruits, nuts, and herbs. I've done a spring version before with pistachios and Italian seasoning that was pretty delicious too!
You could also swap out the quinoa for something like rice or couscous and the recipe would work just fine - just adjust the cook times accordingly.
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. And any similar winter squash would work as well, like the sweet dumpling or yellow acorn.
If you want to make a vegan version of these stuffed acorn squash rings, you can substitute dairy-free cheese shreds for the cheddar and use a flax egg in place of the egg. You could also just omit the egg entirely - and be extra careful when transferring the squash rings to a plate!
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.
More Recipes
If you love these stuffed acorn squash rings, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes:
- The Vegan Thanksgiving Cookbook (new!)
- 12+ Vegetarian Stuffed Squash Recipes
- Rosemary Panko Acorn Squash
- Acorn Squash and Caramelized Onion Dip
- Stuffed Acorn Squash with Mushrooms and Chickpeas
Recipe
Ingredients
- olive oil mister or cooking spray
- ½ cup quinoa rinsed thoroughly
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 apple cored and diced
- ½ cup sharp aged, or smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup 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 ½-inch slices (remove seeds & guts)
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. 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 with 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.
Diane (createdbydiane) says
These are so beautiful, they will dress up any Thanksgiving table VERY nicely.
TidyMom says
These are BEAUTIFUL Kiersten!
Carolyn says
Mmmm, I just bought some acorn squash today. Can't wait to make it!
Kathy says
I am printing this to try at our family's Thanksgiving. Thanks!
Kiersten says
I hope you enjoy it!
Dara says
I LOVE this recipe! So tasty and your photos are gorgeous.
Rachel says
Made this tonight, turned out not only delicious but beautiful! Only thing I changed was using Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar. But both are sharp cheeses so I'm sure it was similar to original 🙂 Thanks for sharing this great recipe - its a keeper for sure!
Kiersten says
I'm so glad to hear it turned out well! I suggested Parmesan to someone else, so I'm glad to hear that it did work out with that instead of cheddar. 🙂
Stephanie @ henry happened says
I just made roasted acorn squash tonight - along with a chicken tho 🙂 Will definitely try this with the 2nd squash I bought!
Kiersten says
You should totally try stuffed squash--it is so good!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
I like the squash ring idea, they look so pretty!
Katie (The Muffin Myth) says
Beautiful idea! I do love stuffed squash halves, but agree that it ends up being a lot of food. Fine for a stand alone meal, but as a part of a thanksgiving spread, totally overwhelming. If only I hadn't just cooked up my only acorn squash (they're dang near impossible to find in my corner of the world) I'd be rushing to make this! Must try it out with other squash. Thanks for another gorgeous recipe!
Kiersten says
I think just about any squash that can be cut into rings would work. Maybe even a small pumpkin!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
This looks amazing! All of my favorite ingredients!
Amanda says
Oh my goodness. These are *so* gorgeous. And they sound absolutely amazing!! I love every single ingredient. I have to make these!!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I love how you've used beautiful acorn squash slices here. I want to reach out to eat, if THAT is ever possible to do 😉
Kiersten says
When will someone invent that kind of technology?!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
These are so pretty! I love that they look like little flowers, and I think my little girl will love that too 😀 And they look delicious!
Kiersten says
Someone else said they look like cogs! I didn't notice either of those, but now of course, that's all I see. 🙂
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
Oh my goodness these are beautiful and they look so flavorful and well, pretty!
Kyle says
I'm loving the looks of everything you posted today for TDay. I have to cook a mixed meal for carnivores and vegetarians - and have a small oven. How do the various components of your meal handle being cooked ahead of time - I'm thinking of cooking some of the meal this Sunday to be reheated on Thursday.
Kiersten says
The sweet potatoes can be made in advance, which will free up space (and time) in the oven for you. (There are also a lot of stovetop things you can make in advance--caramelizing the onions and shallots, the cranberry sauce, the gravy.) If you have the room, you could do the stuffing and squash rings at the same time (both at 375 degrees), then do the carrots and green beans at the same time. When the carrots and green beans are done, pop the squash rings and stuffing in the oven again for 5 minutes or so if they need a little reheating. Roasted veggies can definitely be made in advance and reheated, but they're not as nice looking the second time around!
Kelly says
Do you think I can prepare the mixture the day before (maybe omit egg until before I fill), as well as cut the squash, keep in the fridge, then bake the next day?
Kiersten says
Yup, I haven't tried it, but I'm pretty certain that would work out fine. I'd omit the egg until the next day too.
Jaclyn Hardgrove says
I made these last night & they were SO delicious! The most daunting part is cutting the squashes into rings, but after that - it's smooth sailing.
Thanks for sharing! : )
Jaclyn
Kiersten says
I'm glad they turned out well! I always have to have my husband cut winter squash for me--I don't have the best track record with big knives. 😉
Crista says
I am so inspired by your Thanksgiving recipes... maybe some of the best I've seen! I'd love to duplicate the entire meal that you created with Rikki. I shared a few of your recipes on my blog today. THANK YOU. http://peacelovequinoa.com/2012/11/20/thanksgiving-recipes-vegan-gluten-free/
Kiersten says
Thank you so much! Just to let you know, though, not all of my Thanksgiving recipes are vegan--the acorn squash rings aren't, although they'd be pretty easy to adapt. 🙂
Crista says
oh yeah!, I caught that, thanks! 🙂
i'll substitute Earth Balance for butter and I won't use the cheese. Regardless, I can't wait to try them!!!!!
Genevieve says
I totally agree with you - I always see recipes for quinoa stuffed squash as a vegetarian main course option, but never a smaller-portioned option that would be easier to eat, like this one. I love to fill up on side dishes at Thanksgiving too, so this would let me fill my plate with other things, and still come back for a second slice!
Kiersten says
Yeah, the side dishes are the best part of Thanksgiving--I definitely wanted my entree to be something that left a lot of room for them! 🙂
Sara says
Yummy! Great recipe. I thank you for tonight's dinner! The only thing I had trouble with was cutting the rings, but I ended up chopping up some of the end bits into cubes, roasting them, and eating them with the extra filling. Just as delicious.
Kiersten says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
CrystalFawn says
I served them to company and they made for a very pretty presentation and were simply DELICIOUS!!!! Will definitely make again...Thank you.
Kiersten says
I'm so glad everyone enjoyed them! 🙂
Bernadette @ Now Stir It Up says
WOW! These look fantastic. I am always looking for squash recipes this time of year. Ill have to try these out.
Kiersten says
Thank you! I hope you like them if you make them. 🙂
Anna says
Thank you for this fabulous recipe. I made it couple of times already and my family love it. I made also spicy versions of this recipe (added garlic, marjoram, and some turmeric)... everyone loved it.
Kiersten says
Thank you for your comment! I love the sound of your spicy version too! 🙂
Jeannine says
I made these and they were both beautiful and delicious! Thank you! 🙂 I did not make any changes to your recipe and it was just the right amount of everything. The only difficulty I had was slicing the squash - my chef knife wasn't too sharp so I used a serrated bread knife. I had some issues getting the slices straight and even (as you can probably imagine). Next time I make this I think I will need a new knife!
Kiersten says
Usually my husband gets squash slicing duties. 😉 I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Alexis says
What are the best kind of apple and onion to
Use? Thanks so much!
Kiersten says
I use yellow or white onion. Any kind of apple will work, but I prefer to cook with Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Braeburn.
Alexis says
Thank you!