This quinoa-stuffed and roasted acorn squash is completely plant-based and cruelty-free! It’s a hearty, healthy alternative to turkey-like roasts, and all comes together in about an hour.

This recipe is versatile, so feel free to remove or add any ingredients you want. But trust me on the Royal Gala apple — it adds a whole new level of flavor, despite sounding a little odd. Replace the corn with peas, the quinoa with rice, the spinach with kale, the leek with celery, or even the acorn squash with a small pumpkin!

This dish goes great with all the Thanksgiving staples like mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and rolls. Just make sure to replace all dairy milk, heavy cream, and butter with plant-based alternatives to save innocent cows from abuse.

Enough talking. Let’s get cooking!

Vegan Stuffed & Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe

roasted stuffed vegan acorn squash ingredients

Image Credit: Kelly Pitts

Ingredients

2 Acorn Squash, medium-sized

1 Tbs Olive Oil (or preferred cooking oil)

For the Stuffing

1/2 Cup Uncooked Quinoa

1 Cup Vegetable Broth*

1 Onion, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 Leek, chopped

1 Medium Carrot, chopped

1 Ear of Corn, cut from the cob

1/2 Royal Gala Apple, diced

1 Handful Spinach

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Cut acorn squash in half, remove seeds and guts from the inside.**
  3. Brush acorn squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place acorn squash into the oven for about 45 minutes, or until completely tender.
  4. Meanwhile, add quinoa and vegetable broth to a medium saucepot and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn down to a simmer for 15 minutes, or according to instructions on the box/bag.
  5. In a large non-stick cooking pan, add remaining olive oil, onions, garlic, leek, carrot, corn, apple, salt, and pepper. Let the vegetables sweat for a few minutes. Once the onion is translucent and the carrots start to become tender, add the cooked quinoa. Cook for 5 more minutes. Then, add the spinach and cook until it wilts.
  6. Add the ‘stuffing’ to the acorn squash holes, brush with more olive oil if you want a crispier exterior,*** and place back in the oven for 15 more minutes.
  7. Let the acorn squash cool down and enjoy!

Notes

* You can also use water here, but vegetable broth will make it more flavorful. I personally love Better Than Bouillon’s Vegetable Base.

** If you want a healthy snack, keep the seeds, dry them out, throw them on a non-stick baking sheet with a little salt, and bake them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes!

*** I personally use the Misto olive oil sprayer, which is similar to PAM cooking spray, but you can add 100 percent pure olive oil with no preservatives.

This recipe uses a modified version of Vegan Huggs’s “Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash” recipe.

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