Is this stuffed acorn squash pretty or what? I’m really excited to share this recipe with you. Roasted acorn squash halves topped with herbed quinoa make a delicious holiday-worthy main dish. It’s the perfect option if you’re serving vegetarian and gluten-free eaters.
This recipe is simple enough to put together on a relaxed weeknight, too. Pour yourself a glass of wine and let’s make some stuffed squash!
This recipe requires a few steps, but none of them are difficult. You can make the quinoa mixture while the squash is in the oven. Then, stuff the squash and bake until the quinoa turns golden and develops delicious little crispy bits on top.
The filling steals the show in this recipe. It features cranberry-studded quinoa and two kinds of cheese, one creamy and one melty. Chopped parsley and green onion offer lots of irresistible fresh flavor, and toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) contribute some savory crunch.
How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
I treat my acorn squash the same as I do spaghetti squash—rubbed lightly with olive oil and baked cut-side down so the edges develop some delicious caramelization. Acorn squash bakes up even faster, in as little as 35 minutes.
Then, I stuffed the squash with a modified version of my stuffed sweet potatoes in Love Real Food (page 144). This time, I stirred dried cranberries into the hot quinoa to give them a chance to plump up. I also added some Parmesan for structure and extra flavor, and baked the squash again after stuffing it.
I love how the herbed quinoa mixture turns golden in the oven and develops an almost panko-like, crisp texture on top. It’s so good and contrasts beautifully with the tender squash beneath.
Watch How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
Chickpeas are Optional
I purposefully omitted the chickpeas from the original stuffing recipe. As written, you should have exactly enough filling to stuff four medium squash halves.
If you’re using particularly large acorn squash or wanting to up the protein content of this meal, you can stir one can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained) into the quinoa mixture as described in the recipe notes.
You can easily make this recipe dairy free or vegan—check the recipe notes for suggestions!
Serving Suggestions
My favorite green salad would be the perfect complement to this stuffed squash. It features fresh apple, which pairs beautifully with acorn squash, and a few of the same ingredients—toasted pepitas, dried cranberries and goat cheese. If you make both recipes at once, you’ll use up one standard four-ounce package of goat cheese.
Another beautiful salad option would be my pomegranate and pear green salad with ginger dressing.
Looking for more holiday-worthy vegetarian main dishes and sides? Check out my Thanksgiving recipe roundup for more ideas.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I hope it’s a big hit at your dinner table.
PrintVegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
This vegetarian stuffed acorn squash recipe is beautiful and delicious! The cheesy quinoa filling develops an irresistible crispy top in the oven. Make it for your holiday dinner or serve it on a relaxed weeknight at home. Recipe yields 4 stuffed squash halves.
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup raw pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- To prepare the squash, use a sharp chef’s knife to slice through it from the tip to the stem. I find it easiest to pierce the squash in the center along a depression line, then cut through the tip, and finish by slicing through the top portion just next to the stem. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits inside, and discard those pieces.
- Place the squash halves cut side up on the parchment-lined pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the squash, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Rub the oil into the cut sides of the squash, then turn them over so the cut sides are against the pan. Bake until the squash flesh is easily pierced through by a fork, about 30 to 45 minutes. Leave the oven on.
- Meanwhile, cook the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed quinoa and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until all of the water is absorbed, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cranberries. Cover, and let the mixture steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- In a medium skillet, toast the pepitas over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pepitas are turning golden on the edges and making little popping noises, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Pour the fluffed quinoa mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Add the toasted pepitas, chopped green onion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.
- If the mixture is very hot, let it cool for a few minutes before adding the Parmesan cheese and goat cheese. Gently stir the mixture to combine.
- Turn the cooked squash halves over so the cut sides are facing up. Divide the mixture evenly between the squash halves with a large spoon. Return the squash to the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cheesy quinoa is turning golden on top.
- Sprinkle the stuffed squash with the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and serve warm.
Notes
Squash filling adapted from the stuffed sweet potatoes in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 144).
Change it up: You can add more protein to this dish by stirring 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas), into the quinoa mixture. You may have some of the mixture leftover—it’s a great quinoa salad on its own.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit both varieties of cheese. You might want to add chickpeas (see above) to fill out the stuffing mixture. Top the baked squash with dollops of vegan sour cream, and you could even finish it off with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan.
Rebecca
Looks amazing. Do you have dried cranberries without sugar on them or do you use ones with sugar. If without where do you find/what brand?
Kate
Hey Rebecca, good question! I use regular dried cranberries because the added sugar actually helps them retain moisture. No-sugar-added dried cranberries might be rock hard, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them in stores.
Amy Schleider
I think Ocean Spray has a reduced sugar dried craisin/cranberry.
E
This was amazing!! Thank you for sharing!
Kathryn Wilkinson
This sounds really good!
My acorn squash stuffing has always been brown & wild rice, with onions, celery, lots of fruit (dried cranberries and apples) and nuts (pecans), and sage. I look forward to trying something different!
Kate
Kathryn, your stuffing sounds marvelous! Hope you enjoy this one, too.
Marlene
Would this work with butternut squash?
Kate
Hi Marlene! Butternut might be a little tricky because it doesn’t offer such a large built-in bowl, if you will. It would definitely work well with spaghetti squash.
Emily D
This was great for getting us in the fall mood! (Even though it was still upper 80s today) My husband literally said “it’s perfect!” and it was so easy to put together! Thank you, Kate!!
Danita
Kate, I watch tons of healthy recipe videos, and I must say that yours are not only fabulous and wonderful recipes, but you have pretty much the classiest web site and videos of all. Seriously, you are number one for amazing-ness (is that a word? If not, it should be, because it is so very you). Thank you so much.
Kate
You’re so sweet, Danita! Thanks for your comment. I’m really happy you are enjoying!
Liz
This is delicious!
I used mozzarella and dried parmesean since that is what I had on hand. I also added the can of garbanzos, which filled 6 halves perfectly. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Em
Way too funny. I just opened up Cookie and Kate to get your quinoa salad recipe for lunch (the quinoa is on the stove now) and I saw this.
Looks so yummy! I love all your recipies :)
Kate
Great minds! Thank you, Em!
Joanne
I used a chub of iserinos chicken sausage with 1 xtra tbsb.of sage. Very little fat. Then sauteed my veggies in the rendering fat. You mite have to add a bit of olive oil or coconut oil, as there is very little fat in the chicken sausage. Your readers will love this additional twist. My family actually asked for more.
Thank you
Joanne
Bremerton Wa
Allison
Hi Kate,
This looks really delicious! This might be a silly question, but do you eat the acorn squash skin, as well?
Kate
I wouldn’t eat it! :)
Esther
Do you think there are any steps you can do ahead for this?
Kate
You could try making the quinoa stuffing ahead of time. I of course didn’t try it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Janet
Looks and sounds delicious, Kate. I can’t wait to try it. I’ll let you know once I do.
Kate
Please do, Janet!
Jaimee
Just made this for a (small) office potluck tomorrow. Very showy. I was hesitant about all the goat cheese, but I should have used the full amount. If you don’t, make sure you add extra salt. My bf had to have butter in with his too, and that didn’t hurt. Will def make again, and I’m expecting raves tomorrow.
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Michelle
Recipe sounds great, and the pictures even better! Making for family dinner on Saturday. Can I substitute fresh cranberries? Would I need to add sugar and still add with quinoa after? Thanks!
Kate
Thanks, Michelle! It would depend on your taste for sweet vs tart, I guess. I’m not sure about adding sugar to the quinoa.
clare goldfarb
loved this recipe
Kate
Wonderful, Clare!
Lea Brandenburg
I made this recipe for dinner last night! Besides being beautiful to look at, it was AMAZING!!! It was such a clean, healthy dinner! I left out a couple ingredients, since I didn’t have them. But I did add a can of chickpeas. Thanks for sharing this recipe…and all of your other ones! I have made many! I will be making your healthy banana muffins today! :)
Kate
You’re welcome, Lea! I’m glad you liked this one, too.
Cora
Thank you for this one! This was another lovely recipe, worked very well as a vegetarian entree to balance a heavy Christmas meal. Everyone had some, vegetarian or not. I assembled it the day before and refrigerated it until time to bake. Because of other dishes on the menu I made this more savory with some roasted mushrooms and red onion in place of the dried cranberries. This is great company dish because it can be put together ahead of time and looks fancy despite being very straightforward to make.
Kate
A C+K Christmas for you Cora! I love that. Thanks so much for all your feedback!
Andrea
I loved the quinoa and the acorn squash. I added the chickpeas as well. It was easy to make and came out perfectly. It rained in NY today so I also made the sweet potato fries and the strawberry-balsamic sundae. I received your cookbook for a present, but I was already trying your recipes from the website. I love the soups, especially the spicy black bean one. Thanks!
Kate
Hooray! I love it. Thanks for sharing which recipes you have been trying recently!
Nancy
I made this as a side dish for Christmas dinner. It was delicious, even the meat lovers thought so. I didn’t have pumpkin seeds so I substituted with toasted pine nuts. I will definitely make it again.
Kate
Thanks for your review, Nancy!
Ana
Kate, your recipes are my go-to! This recipe was delicious and so fall-like. Thank you for all your ideas, I cook from your blog, app, and cookbook all the time and they never disappoint!!
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Ana!
Esther
What’s the name of the app?
Ana
Cookie + Kate
Courtney
Another home run! I was looking for a fun New Year’s Dinner recipe that wasn’t too intense – this fit the bill. We loved it. Next time I will try with goat cheese (we did feta this time). Thanks, as always! Happy New Year :)
Paul in Sacramento
I love this! I have made it with chickpeas and without — both are excellent. I made this for the main course of our New Year’s eve dinner and all were impressed. It has a great presentation and hits my check box for comfort food.
Thanks, Kate!
Kate
What a great dinner party idea! I love it. Thanks for sharing, Paul.
Amy
Can I freeze them? They would make great single servings to take for lunch!
Kate
I don’t think this would freeze well, although I haven’t tried it.
Kathy
I love this recipe! It wasn’t too hard for me to make and I could find all the ingredients where I live (which is overseas). Thank you so much for sharing it. P.S. I think naming the blog after your dog – and you- is really sweet.
Kate
Thank you on all accounts! Cookie is my teammate so of course she gets some recognition! She keeps things interesting. :)
Caroline
This was sooo good! I used raisins instead of cranberries because I’m doing a no added sugar thing this month and the cranberries I had had added sugars. But everything was still delicious! Will definitely make this again.
Kate
I bet it was still delicious without them! Thanks for letting me know you loved it, Caroline!
Samantha
This was a quick assembly and delicious plant based dinner! I subbed homemade vegan parmesan for the cheese aspects of this recipe. This is a great recipe to meal prep, the second squash will serve as the perfect take to work lunch!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Samantha!
claudia parker
I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I loved it! I agree… the quinoa filling rocks! Thanks for another healthy meal!
Kate
You’re welcome, Claudia!
Kerry
I want to make this tonight for dinner. I only have frozen precooked quinoa. How many cups of cooked quinoa will I need for this recipe?
Kate
1 cup equals roughly 3 cups cooked. I hope this helps!
Thomas Manley
I want to thank you for leaving this recipe for us to have. I love Acorn squash and was searching for additional ways to fix it. I usually wrap it in foil and put it on the grill for the skin side and then I take it off and add sesame oil to the cavity and rewrap it and put it back on. This recipe that I just pinned looks so good and extremely healthy for you. I will just have to have it as a side since I still eat meat and fish. But, maybe with Chicken breast?? Thank you again
Kate
Let me know what you think when your try it, Thomas!
Jennifer
Made this last evening using red quinoa. The combination of goat feta and parmesan was not everyone’s favorite, but it was still devoured. Love the dried cranberries! The pop of sweetness with the crunch of the pepitas was quite nice.
Next time we will make it without the parmesan and see if the family gives it 5 stars.
Thank you for the recipe.
GPS
I made this recipe today and followed it exactly. It turned out amazing, the flavors married perfectly. Thank you! This is a keeper. I will be making it again.
Kate
Great to hear, GPS!
Sherri
The stuffing is outrageous! I want to make it all by itself. Oh my gosh! Paired with squash it is an excellent dish!
Kate
Thank you, Sherri!
Lauren
I’m eating this right now! My Mom had me over for dinner last night and she made this (trying to please her vegetarian daughter) and sent me home with leftovers. So I’m reading the recipe while I’m eating because it’s so good – even on a hot July night :)
Kate
I’m glad you love it!
Hope Coulter
Hi Kathryn! Do you have an idea for substituting quinoa. Unfortunately I react very badly to saponin, even when I rinse the quinoa.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! You could try brown rice or farro?
Alex
I have about 10 minutes left on the final stint in the oven, and I’m so excited for when it comes out! I took the vegan option and used chickpeas, and the only other alteration I made was to use Fruit Bliss’ Organic, No Sugar Added Tart Cherries in place of the cranberries. Thanks for such an amazing recipe, Kate! I just KNOW it’s going to be delicious!
Kate
Thank you for your review, Alex!
Melanie
I made these tonight, and they were AMAZING! My husband hates goat cheese, so the kids and I had them all to ourselves. :) This recipe is amazing; you will not be disappointed if you take the time to try it. The only “substitution” I made is using roasted and salted pepitas instead of roasting them myself; this was only because I couldn’t find raw ones at the grocery store. I just eliminated the extra salt from the filling to try to make up for mine being salted, and it seemed to work well.
Kate
Love hearing that, Melanie! Thank you for your review.
Hayley
I was thinking about making this vegan with the suggested chickpeas added & tahini sauce? What do you think, Kate?
Kate
Be sure to let me know what you think when you try it!
Tracy
Made without the Parmesan cheese (didn’t have any) and this still came out amazing. Thanks for the great recipe, will def be making again!
Leora
Seriously Kate, YUM! I am more impressed each time I try one of your recipes! I made the filling for these in advance and now I need to try not to eat all of it before it’s time to stuff the squash for dinner tonight. Thanks for another great recipe!
Kate
Thank you, Leora! I appreciate your review.
Sharon
I love this recipe. I wasn’t used to eating goat cheese, quinoa, or acorn squash, so I had to eat it a couple of times before the flavors grew on me. But now I love it. Since fall is here, I’m finding local acorn squash at the farmer’s market, and I’m making this recipe for dinner twice a week now. The more I eat it, the more I love it! It’s beautiful. It’s vegetarian. It’s healthy. And it’s fun to make, and serve.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Sharon!
Tai Esse
Thank you Kate!
I made it with butternut squash because that’s what was available. I loved it. My Asian friends thought it was bland and added seasoning to it.
Keep up the great work.
Kate
I’m happy to hear that, Tai!
Selin
I’ve made this several times since trying it for the first time last winter, and WOW it is delicious. Now this (Canadian) Thanksgiving, I will serve it as our main veggie dish, but with my limited oven space I am wondering: is it a good idea to make this dish ahead of time, or to make some of it ahead of time? Has anyone tried?
Kate
You could do the parts separately, then bake together when you would like. That might work well!
Doreen
This sounds like the perfect balance of flavors and textures. Will definitely try it!
Alyssa
I’ve made this twice. It’s so customizable with what you have on hand. The second time I didn’t have pepitas, green onions, or fresh parsley, so I used toasted pine nuts, shallot, and fresh Rosemary instead (bc that’s what I had in my house) and it was still delicious! Love the goat cheese/cranberry combo. Such a flavorful dish.
Rob
Did a search on acorn squash & quinoa, and stumbled across your recipe. Well explained, easy to prepare, delicious combo of ingredients, perfect Fall dish.
You’ve gained a fan on this dish alone!
Kate
Fantastic, Rob! Thank you for sharing.
Patti O'Donnell
My husband and I are trying to eat more meatless meals. I made this for us tonight and we really enjoyed it. I think I would add more dried cranberries next time and roasted salted pumpkin seeds or better yet roast and salt the squash seeds and use them. This is the second of your recipes I have made, we love your Roasted Cauliflower and Farro salad also. Your meals make eating vegetarian easier for those who are trying to eat less meat.
Kate
I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for your review, Patti.
Lauren A Rocha
I just made this, and it was absolutley delicious! I substituted lightly sauteed white onion for the green and used goat cheese instead of feta. The squash was perfectly tender and the mixture so savory it left me wanting so much more! I think I’d add chickpeas next time just for a little extra protein, but overall this recipe was perfect as is. Very easy to make!
Kate
Thank you for sharing your variation, Lauren! I appreciate it.
Jen
I made this tonight. Rich, nutty and fresh. I will definitely make it again.
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jen!
Linda
Excellent! I substituted raisins for cranberries since that is what I had.
Kate
That’s a great substitution, Linda! Thanks for your review.
Esther
My husband can’t eat cranberries. What would be a good substitute that’s not overly acidic? Also, he doesn’t like feta/goat cheese. Any suggestions for a substitution (sour cream, maybe?), or can the feta just be left out?
Kate
Hi Esther, you can use raisins but that might cause the same concern. I suggest just omitting the feta and possibly adding a little more parmesan.
Susan Bunting
What a great way to serve squash as a main. I added about 1 TBSP of thyme from our garden as well as our Italian parsley.
Frances Helen Harber
A big 5 star plus for this recipe! I served this for a fall dinner and it looked so beautiful on the table. It’s beauty was matched by great flavour and texture. So enjoyable and artistic. I made your salad, too – a great combo, Thanks for your cuisine creativity!
Brian
I made this with the garbanzo beans. Turned out fabulous. I will definitely make this again. Are used a little more goat cheese then it calls for. I think it added a nice balance.
Kate
Thank you for sharing! Yes, beans are a great addition to this.
Katie C.
Great base recipe that can easily be changed based on what you have on hand! Even my meat and potatoes man loved it. He ate two squash in one sitting. I substituted white rice for quinoa, sunflower seeds for pepitas, Swiss cheese for the goat cheese, 1/2 tbsp vinegar for lemon juice, and dried parsley for fresh parsley because that’s what I had on hand. I also added the recommended chickpeas to bulk it up. So yummy even with the substitutions!
Kate
Thank you for sharing!
Jeanette
I made this last night and it was heaven on a plate. Just the right blend of all those flavors. Every bite was bursting with them!
I never knew you could toast those little pumpkin kernals and those things were amazing! I made extra just to snack on.
I loved this meal and it’s going in my rotation. I can’t wait to have it again.
Kate
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Jeanette!
Laurie
Made this tonight with several substitutions based on what we had on hand; stuffed with quinoa, red onion, slivered almonds, parsley, and on the suggestion of my husband, crumbled blue cheese. It was delicious! The blue cheese was a great addition.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Laurie!
Evelyn
This is delicious! I think it will become my go-to fall/winter meal. I found your site when a friend shared this recipe on her fb page and the photo was so inviting.
Elizabeth Watts
This was very good. We roasted chic peas and added chili powder and smoked paprika to them prior also tossed the pepita’s in chili powder and smoked paprika. Elizabeth
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Carly Kalkauski
One word for this recipe: YUMMY! I think next time I might add a little more dried cranberries and lemon juice but otherwise this is an absolute perfect fall meal. Thank you for this inventive way to use acorn squash!!
Kate
You’re welcome, Carly! Thanks for your review.
MilitarySpouseFoodie
Wow this was yummy! Thank you so much for this recipe, I will definitely make it again! However I changed almost the entire thing, but I still give you credit, because I wouldn’t have prepared it like this.
The only thing I had in my house when I wanted to make this was cheeses, quinoa, and the squash (according to the recipe). So I used what I had on hand….dates, which gave extra sweetness that I LOVED, yellow onions sautéed in a little water just to soften them up a bit because I don’t like that raw onion taste. Once the water evaporated I added walnuts, because I could’ve swore I had pepitas “way back there somewhere”…got tired of looking and found the walnuts. Toasted that with the onions.
I didn’t have parsley but I had fresh rosemary, so I chopped that up and threw that in there. And then for oil right before baking it the second time, I had some pasta oil…something fancy that’s spiked with garlic and thyme (because I didn’t have garlic). Got lucky and had a lemon!
I have never prepared a squash this way. I recently joined a CSA and had all these squashes to use. Found this recipe on Pinterest, and now I’m a fan…of this bog and of squash! :o)
Kate
I appreciate your detail! I’m happy to hear you were able to make it work.
Stacy
Absolutely delicious! My husband and I loved it . Made it just as written .
Margarita Smith
I’m curious as to why you discard the squash seeds and add pepitas? The seeds of acorn squash are as tasty and nutritious as pepitas(pepitas are just squash seeds, after all), and you can just toast them in the oven alongside the squash.
Kate
That sounds like a great idea! I don’t love cooking the seeds, but if you have a great method then go for it. :)
Stacey Tucker
HI Kate,
do you think this would work with Israeli cous cous? My husband is not a fan of quinoa.
Kate
You could try it! Rice could be nice too.
Kit
Fabulous main dish. I made the vegan version using the chick peas and substituted dried cherries for cranberries since that is what I had in the pantry. Sprinkled Panko bread crumbs on top for a little crunch. Great recipe. Thanks.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Kit!
Rich M
Kate – First – Love all of your stuff and have your cookbook – love that too – make another! Question, I want to do this stuffed acorn squash for Thanksgiving for my brother and fiance ho are vegetarians but I also have a bird and lots of other things going. Do you think I can cook the squash and quinoa the day before (through step 7)and refrigerate – then assemble and reheat in the oven (Steps 8&9) on the next day? If so, would I add any time to the final reheat?
Steph
I needed a quinoa recipe to make with my Instant Pot acorn squash and came upon yours and I am sure glad I did! For the sake of time I didn’t add all of the ingredients to the quinoa and it was delicious – my new favorite way to make it. I did, however, also use the Instant Pot to make this whole thing very quickly. In one pot I made the acorn squash. In the other pot I sauteed 1 cup of quinoa for a few minutes in olive oil until toasted, added 1 cup of broth, pinch of salt, high pressure for 0 minutes. Then per your suggestion I added fresh parsley, dried cranberries, and lemon juice. I did not care for the parmesan with it (hence the 4 stars but that’s just personal preference) so omitted. Simple and delicious. I also had some leftover butternut squash soup so I added the quinoa to that, too and boy was that yummy! This was my first recipe from your site and I am looking forward to trying more.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Steph! I’m happy you were able to still enjoy it.
Shannon
I making this as my main dish for my very first Vegetarian Thanksgiving this week. I am so excited to see how this turns out. It looks amazing!
Kate
I hope you love it! Thanks for your comment, Shannon.
Barbara
Even though I made a few substitutions because I didn’t have all ingredients, this recipe was absolutely delicious! Used sunflower kernels, red onion and raisins because I had those in stock. Will definitely make this recipe again!
Kate
I’m happy to hear that, Barbara! I appreciate your review.
Amy Smith
Making this for the first time so my vegetarian guest can have a main course too. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find pepitas. I have almonds, pecans and pistachios on hand. Any recommendation on which would be a better sub? Thanks!
Kate
I think sliced almonds or chopped pecans would work!
Virginia
My vegan adult son and I made this for our main course for Thanksgiving dinner. We did not use the chickpeas, as I have become bored with them recently, and I added cheese only to mine, but otherwise they came out perfectly as expected. Easy, substantial (he ate a whole squash, lol!) and such great flavor! Thank you! I will definitely be doing this one again.
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Nora
My mother and I made this together and we both had tons of fun doing it. While it did take two hours (probably because it was our first time), it truly was worth seeing the smiles on my kids’ faces. I just wanted to say that my mother had the idea to add more flavor by cooking the quinoa in vegetable broth instead of water.
Thanks a bunch for this recipe, Kate!
Tom Shelley
Stuffed acorn squash
Hi, Kate. I made this recipe and my spouse and I loved it. I didn’t use the chickpeas. This would have made too much stuffing as my acorn squash were on the smaller side and the stuffing recipe made exactly enough to amply fill the squash. (Our oven is broken, waiting for a replacement, so I made this recipe in a toaster oven where I generally use smaller sized veggies that fit the toaster oven scale.) I made this recipe for a vegan friend. I followed the recipe closely except I didn’t use any cheese; I substituted two tablespoons of nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese and it worked pretty well. I also used double the garlic, being a garlic fan. The cranberries and the pepitas are a nice touch as well. And thanks for a geat website! Tom Shelley, Ithaca NY
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Tom!
Nancy
This would have been good if I liked goat cheese. The picture looked so good that I decided to follow it to the letter. I had never had goat cheese and didn’t care for it. Totally NOT your fault. But I’ve loved many of your other recipes. Great blog!!
Kate
You could try feta!
Nancy
I’ll definitely try it again with Feta. . I hope you have a Merry Christmas
Kate
I subbed out the quinoa for pearled couscous and it was a huge hit at thanksgiving this year.
Hayley
What do you think of omitting the cheese (I’m lactose intolerant) & adding tahini sauce? It kind of reminds me of the roasted carrots & farro dish in your cookbook which is so good with tahini!
Kate
Hi Hayley! I’m not sure about tahini sauce, but you can omit the cheese for this one. But, if you try it let me know!
Gabrielle
This is one of my new favorite winter recipes! The quinoa filling always makes extra, but it keeps well and I use the leftover to to make hearty salads for lunch. I skip the cheese and include the chickpeas. I’ve subbed red onions for green when I don’t have any. Thanks for another great recipe!
Kate
I love it! Thanks for your comment, Gabrielle!
Maddie
So delicious and not too labor-intensive! I think this is one of my new favorites!
Shirley
My girlfriend made this for the last meal of 2019 for me & her family. It might be the best thing about 2019! She paired it with your suggested arugula salad & they were both divine. I’ve printed out the recipe so I can make them both at home. It’s the ultimate flavorful comfort food! Thank you. Namaste–Shirley, Santa Barbara, California
P.S. You’ve got a cookbook??!!!
Ktbananas
I made this tonight and it is SO delicious! We ate every bite. The mixture of cheeses, sweet cranberries and crunchy pepitas is a party in my mouth! Thank you for the recipe.
Juliana S
YUM! What a great recipe. I will have to make this again in the future.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Juliana!
Patsy
I didn’t take a picture but I have to tell you, it came out delicious and I used the stuffing, because I had so much, the next day. I altered a bit because I didn’t have all the ingredients. I used a pkg of Quinoa and Brown Rice I cooked in the microwave for all of 90 seconds. I used the apple, added lots of dried cranberries, no pepitas, no lemon, no parsley, added salt, pepper and chopped sausage that I had browned just like chopped meat. Came out fabulous but the next day I made rigatoni and I used a jar of marinara sauce, added the leftover stuffing and some mushrooms I had left over and let me tell you how good that was! Great keeper just shortened the cooking time a bit.
Kate
I’m glad it came out so good, Patsy! I appreciate your comment and review.
Artemis
This is my favorite quick recipe of all time! I’m making it right now, and in about 20 minutes I’ll be enjoying this fresh, heavenly recipe! Thank you, Kate!
Linda Nisbett
The best way to describe this dish is that it’s popping with fall flavour. My first time trying Acorn Squash and you got me hooked. Thanks for such an amazing recipe.
Sandra
Terrific recipe. Very flavorful dish, enhanced by the lovely crunch to the quinoa.I only used 1/2 the goat cheese but it was enough to add a wonderful richness.
Claire
Yum! Based on what’s around at home at the moment I used bulgur wheat for quinoa, leftover ricotta ravioli filling for the cheese, and raisins for the cranberries! Was really good – I often avoid stuffing recipes for fear of blandness but this was really tasty and had a great crunch! Thank you
Kristen
This tasted good! I made it vegan – skipped cheeses and added cranberries!
Brian
Family loved this. I added 1/3 c. onion, 1 chopped stalk celery, 1 chopped small carrot (mirepoix) and 1/3t Better than Bouillion soup stock concentrate when cooking quinoa to add flavor. Use a metal coffee filter when washing the quinoa to make this task quick and easy.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Brian.
Jan Swalley
Good recipes. Keep them coming .
Jan
Monica C Garrison
Made this for dinner tonight. It was a hit and will be in our rotation of dinner options. We added the chickpeas one of our favorites. Thanks for creating such a yummy dish.
Nikki
This was super easy to follow! My stab at it came out fantastic
Kathy
I’ve recently tried (Deliciously successful) acorn squash on the grill. I think this recipe would work well on the grill as well. I’ll let you know…Can’t wait to give this a try!
Courtney B
I made this without much thought; I had one acorn squash and some random ingredients I hoped would turn into a meal.
What a fantastic recipe! I subbed golden raisins for cranberries. Although parsley would have been perfect, I subbed some fresh thyme and chives instead. I also added diced mushrooms that needed to be used up.
This is a great recipe that allows substitutions. I’ve already picked up the groceries to make this again!
Odre R
Such a wonderful recipe !
I totally hacked it based on what I had in my pantry but the cheesy quinoa goodness was wonderful
I did hazelnuts instead of pepita
Dates instead of cranberries
Added tomato and chickpea and pan fried onions + carrots
Kate
I’m glad you found something that worked with what you had and like it, Odre! Thank you for sharing.
Gentley Bondeson
This was amazing! The flavors were so well balanced
Beca
parmesan cheese isn’t vegetarian, just so you know
Jacob K
This has become my absolute go-to stuffed acorn squash recipe. The only thing I change is that I add crumbled tempeh to the stuffing.
Just a great crowd pleaser when having friends over for dinner
Emma
I absolutely love this recipe! My go-to base-recipe for stuffed squash.
Amy
Yum!!! Loved the cheesy quinoa stuffing! I love the stuffed sweet potato recipe from your cookbook so this one was equally as tasty. Just a tad sweeter from the dates I used. So filling!
Kate
Thank you for your review, Amy! Happy you loved it.
Michelle Moreno-Lee
One of the best vegetarian recipes I’ve tried!!!
Kate
Hooray! I love it. Thank you for sharing.
Claire Brooks
My hubby LOVED this. I used shallots because of a garlic allergy and instead of petitas, I used hamburger meat. I asked if we should try chickpeas instead and he said yes!! Thank you so much for a great recipe.
Jeanna Johnson
I loved this recipe, easy and delicious.. thank you….. got a question please, I have three more Acorn Squash and I’d love to do this recipe for thanksgiving, can I bake and stuff them and then freeze them?
Thanks Jeanna
Kate
Hi Jenna! I’m not sure this one would be the best frozen. Sorry! But, I’m glad you loved it.
Connie
This was excellent! I didn’t have parsley but substituted chopped spinach, and added toasted pine nuts and pecans as I didn’t have pepitas. Will definitely make again
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for your review, Connie.
Josephine Jennifer Crawford
Thanks for your lovely recipe, as per usual. They are worth trying and diabetic-friendly too.
Kelly
This was incredible as usual. I used a delicata so I cooked it for less time and had to use regular sweet onions and dried parsley. I also added the chickpeas. I really liked the salty/sweet/nutty combo. Definitely adding this to my fall recipe repertoire. I have yet to be unhappy with a single one of your recipes!
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Kelly.
Adrienne Breznau
Wow this was so good! I made it with a spaghetti squash because that’s what I had on hand and the filling filled up both sides just fine. Thank you so much and I can’t wait to make it again!
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Adrienne! Thank you for your review.