If you’re looking for a fall-inspired recipe, here is one that is healthy and bursting with flavor. This vegetarian stuffed acorn squash recipe has soft, fork-tender squash filled with a mix of couscous, mushrooms, and chestnuts.
It's a straightforward and warming dish that makes a lovely meatless main dish or a vegetarian side dish on a chilly day.
This vegetarian stuffed acorn squash makes the perfect vegetarian thanksgiving meal that delivers nutty and well-balanced fall flavors.
It’s pretty easy to create a variation of this dish, so it’s a beautiful base recipe. You can scale this recipe up or down depending on if you have guests coming over. Generally speaking, acorn squashes are large enough to feed two people per squash.
This recipe is a great option for an elegant dinner party – plated or on platters down the center of the table for a more festive occasion. They just as easily suit a weekday supper.
For more pumpkin recipes check out our creamy Pumpkin Carrot Soup or Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Healthy and packed with nutrients – acorn squash is a source of Vitamins A, C, B1, and B6.
- This recipe is a wonderful option for your holiday table.
- Flexible to be either a side dish, meatless main course, or starter.
- Easy to make, and the elements can be made in advance.
- Can also easily be made gluten-free or vegan.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Acorn squash: these can be replaced with other winter squashes such as Hokkaido or butternut squash.
- Olive oil: you can use another vegetable oil such as canola or sunflower.
- Garlic: you can choose to leave out the garlic or use garlic powder as an alternative.
- Brown mushrooms: choose those with a meaty texture like cremini or oysters. Try to steer away from white mushrooms, as they won’t have the same texture.
- Cashews: these give a lovely savory, cheese flavor when toasted. You could opt for other nuts like macadamias or pinenuts.
- Whole Cooked/ Roasted Chestnuts: that are ready to eat. Can usually be bought at bigger grocery stores.
- Dried mixed herbs: Mine included rosemary, sage, oregano, basil, marjoram, and thyme. You could try a few or all of these in your version.
- Green onion: these give some sweetness to the filling. You could go with spring onions if you prefer.
- Couscous: makes up the bulk of the filling. Wild rice or quinoa is a good substitute if you need a gluten-free alternative.
- Vegetable broth: This gives the dish extra flavor than just cooking the couscous in water. You could make your own homemade vegetable stock if you like.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make vegetarian stuffed acorn squash
Here are the simple steps to take to make this wholesome, complete meal:
STEP 1: Roast the squash. Wash the acorn squash skin. Cut them down the center using a very sharp knife and scoop out the seeds. Brush the insides of the squash halves with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Place the squash flesh side down onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake these in a preheated oven at 400°F (210°C) for 35-40 minutes or until they are fork tender. If they are still a bit hard, give them extra time in the oven.
STEP 2: Couscous. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a small saucepan.
Add in the couscous, turn off the heat and set it all aside.
STEP 3: Cashews. Toast the dry cashew nuts in a non-stick pan, be careful not to burn them. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.
STEP 4: Veggies. In the same pan, cook the chopped onion and minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the onion has softened. Be careful not to burn the onion; try to cook it on a gentle-medium heat. Add in the mushrooms and cook them for a few minutes until they begin to brown.
Once all the ingredients in the pan have cooked, sprinkle with a little salt.
STEP 5: Mix together the filling. Fluff the couscous and add it to the pan. Crumble in the feta cheese, and add the cashews and chestnuts.
STEP 6: Marinade. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, and the mixed herbs in a small bowl. Pour this over the filling.
Give it a good stir then fill the squash halves with the stuffing and sprinkle some fresh parsley on top of the squash.
Top Tips
- Mushrooms: choose sturdy, meaty mushrooms like brown, oyster, or shiitake. These will keep their shape as opposed to the softer white mushrooms, which absorb liquid easily and become soft and floppy.
- Acorn squash: Properly seasoned pumpkin or squash flesh has a delicious flavor as opposed to bland, under-seasoned pumpkin. Try to ensure you have seasoned the flesh with a generous amount of salt. Ensure the acorn squash has cooked enough in the oven. There is nothing worse than squashes that are undercooked.
- Garnish: some freshly chopped parsley will lift the dish and give it a pop of freshness
Variations
- Dairy-free: You can easily omit the feta cheese or add in some vegan cheese if you’re still looking for that flavor.
- Nut-free: If you want to make a nut-free alternative to this dish, sprinkle a few toasted sunflower seeds into the filling instead of the cashews.
- Gluten-free: Try quinoa as a protein-packed alternative. Wild rice is another good option and will give a nice nutty flavor to the stuffing recipe. Cook according to package instructions.
- Nuts: play around with variations of nuts. Walnuts, pecans, or toasted pine nuts will fall beautifully into your fall theme.
- Size of cashews: If you’d prefer smaller-sized cashew nuts, you can chop them up in the food processor or by hand.
Optional Add-Ins
- Parmesan
- Dried cranberries or golden raisins
- Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- Pomegranate seeds
- Fresh apple chunks
Serving Suggestions
- Main Dish: Serve this delicious stuffed squash as a vegetarian main dish alongside some Baked Potatoes, Roasted Green Beans, Roasted Frozen Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Potatoes or Green Bean Casserole. Why not serve this Vegetarian Charcuterie Board as a starter first?
- Side Dish/ Starter: Or use it as a meatless starter or side side dish alongside some other vegetarian mains such as this Vegetarian Wellington.
- Drinks: Enjoy this hearty dish with some Cranberry Mocktail or Non Alcoholic Holiday Punch.
Storage & meal prep
- To store: This vegetarian stuffed acorn squash can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. It’s best eaten immediately but will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This means you can also prepare it ahead of time.
- To reheat, pop the whole stuffed squash back into the oven at 400°F (210°C) for about 10 minutes. The other option is to pop them into the microwave for a couple of minutes.
FAQ
Yes, a Hokkaido squash or butter, but squash will work well with this recipe. If the squash or pumpkin you choose is larger than the acorn squash, you may need to increase the cooking time and the filling quantities.
Technically you can as the skin is edible; the choice to eat it or not depends on your personal taste.
You can prepare all the elements ahead of time. The filling can be made up and stored in an airtight container. The same applies to the acorn squash. All parts can be reheated – squash in the oven or microwave, and the filling will do best being reheated in the microwave.
More festive recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 green onion *or spring onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 acorn squashes
- ½ cup couscous or wild rice or quinoa for a gluten-free version
- 1 cup veggie broth
- ½ cup cashews
- 3 cups sliced mushrooms
- ½ cup cooked chestnuts
- ½ cup crumbled feta *rennet-free or vegan if preferred
- lemon juice of ½ a lemon
- Italian dried herbs
Instructions
Acorn Squash
- Preheat oven to 400°F (210°C).
- Give the squash a good wash. Then slice it in half and scrape out the seeds using a spoon.
- Sprinkle the flesh with some salt and brush on some olive oil.
- Place the squash upside down (see step-by-step photos or video) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the flesh of the squash is fork-tender.
Couscous
- In a small saucepan, bring the veggie broth to a boil. Add the couscous, turn off the heat and set couscous aside.
Filling
- Toast cashews over medium heat until they release their flavors and slightly brown (be careful not to burn them). Then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and fry until onion is soft.
- Add the mushrooms and saute for a couple of minutes until tender and lightly browned. Sprinkle with some salt half way through.
- Turn off the heat. Fluff the couscous with a fork or whisk and add it to the mushroom mix followed by the toasted cashews, cooked chestnuts, and crumbled feta.
- In a small bowl whisk together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice and mixed herbs.
- Add the marinade to the stuffing and stir until just combined.
- Spoon stuffing into the roasted acorn squash halves. Add some fresh herbs on top and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Serving Size: The stuffing is enough for 3 acorn squashes (or 6 halves = 6 servings)
- Mushrooms: choose sturdy, meaty mushrooms like brown, oyster, or shiitake. These will keep their shape as opposed to the softer white mushrooms, which absorb liquid easily and become soft and floppy.
- Acorn squash: Try to ensure you have seasoned the flesh with a generous amount of salt. Ensure the acorn squash has cooked enough in the oven.
- Meal Prep: You can prepare all the elements ahead of time. The filling can be made up and stored in an airtight container. The same applies to the acorn squash. All parts can be reheated – squash in the oven or microwave, and the filling will do best being reheated in the microwave (for details see above).
- If the stuffing isn't warm anymore, place the acorn squash back with the stuffing back into the oven for about 10 minutes.
- Variations: for a dairy-free/ vegan, gluten-free or nut-free version please see our variation options above
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