Description

This Mushroom & Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash is filled with caramelized onions, cauliflower florets, spinach, dried cranberries, and pecans. It’s served with a drizzle of lemon tahini sauce. This comforting and colorful dish has a variety of texture, tons of flavor, and makes the perfect hearty dinner or side dish.

Ingredients

Scale

For the stuffed acorn squash

2 medium acorn squashes, halved and seeds removed
2 tablespoons avocado oil, plus more to brush acorn squash halves
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces cauliflower, chopped into very small florets
2 cups cooked wild rice (I used frozen Ancient Grain Mix from Grain Trust – found it at Whole Foods!)
2 cups fresh organic spinach
⅓ cup toasted pecans, chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
Salt & pepper, to taste

For the tahini dressing

¼ cup tahini
2–3 tablespoons water, based on how thick you want it
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon sea salt

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Instructions

For the stuffed acorn squash

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Cut the acorn squash in half and remove the seeds. Brush with 1 teaspoon avocado oil and sprinkle with salt.
Place cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the squash is pierced easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute. Remove the onions and place in a bowl; return the pan to the heat.
Add the mushrooms and cauliflower to the pan and add some salt to season. Cook until the mushrooms are browned and the cauliflower is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the onions back into the pan.
Stir in the wild rice, spinach, pecans and dried cranberries, and stir to wilt the spinach for a minute or two. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Remove the acorn squash halves from the oven and fill each with the wild rice mixture. You may have some leftover. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to heat through before serving with the lemon tahini sauce.

For the sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the tahini sauce, adjusting the amount of water based on how thick you want it. Serve with the stuffed acorn squash. Store any extra sauce in a small jar.