Stuffed acorn squash with mushrooms and cranberries is a delicious vegan option for your Christmas dinner! Serve is as an entree or as a side dish.
Holiday recipes so often are full of less-than-healthy ingredients and are so heavy, so this year I wanted to share some veggie-rich recipes that are still perfect for a holiday feast. Enter this stuffed acorn squash!
Not only is it heavy on the veggies, it's vegan, too, and easily converted to gluten-free.
This recipe is visually pretty to look at, making it perfect for a holiday feast like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter.
Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Reasons you'll love stuffed acorn squash
- it is vegan and easily converted to gluten-free
- you can prep it ahead and re-warm to serve
- it's perfect for a vegan Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter feast!
How to make it
There are three components to this recipe, but the good news is you can make each component ahead and assemble later. You can also fully cook this recipe through and rewarm in the oven!
- Acorn Squash- it's super easy to roast acorn squash! Cut the acorn squash in half, scoop it out, and roast for around 45 minutes in the oven.
- Rice- I tested with both basmati and wild rice, and found it's really beneficial to cook the rice in vegetable stock to get extra flavor.
- Cranberry Mushroom Filling- sautee mushrooms and onions with some herbs, then fold in the rice, dried cranberries and pine nuts.
How do you reheat stuffed acorn squash?
To rewarm, cover the dish (I recommend these reusable silicone lids), and bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through. I recommend adding the crispy breadcrumbs just before serving as they may not stay crispy after rewarming the squash.
How can I make this recipe gluten-free?
You will need to swap the Panko breadcrumbs with a gluten-free alternative.
Can I swap XYZ in this recipe?
I have lots of ideas for swapping out the filling, though it took me three tries to get the seasonings just right so I wouldn't fuss with them too much.
- swap the rice for quinoa or farro
- swap the dried cranberries for some apple (sautee with the onions & mushrooms)
- swap the pine nuts with walnuts, pecans or almonds
- swap the mushrooms or onions for celery, parsnips or carrots (you may need to cook for longer to soften)
Serve it with
You could serve it with a number of tasty vegan holiday recipes I have on the blog:
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
- this Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pomegranates
- this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
- Instant Pot Wild Rice Pilaf or Cranberry Almond Rice Pilaf
- this Roasted Butternut Squash
- our Staple Kale Salad or this Autumn Apple Farro Salad (just leave out the cheese for vegan)
Recipe tips
- I used my favorite, good quality sheet pan (these ones!)
- here’s my favorite chef’s knife
that made cutting the acorn squash in half a breeze (I wish I had bought a good one sooner!) - My favorite casserole dish is this one from Crate & Barrel
that made cutting the acorn squash in half a breeze (I wish I had bought a good one sooner!)
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Mushrooms and Cranberries
Ingredients
Acorn Squash
- 2 acorn squash (medium-large)
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Rice
- ½ cup basmati or wild rice (uncooked)
- 1 cup vegetable stock (to cook rice)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups mushrooms (chopped; button or cremini work)
- 1 onion (diced)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pine nuts
Crispy Breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- generous pinch sea salt
Instructions
Acorn Squash
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Cut the acorn squash in half across the middle. Scoop out seeds. Brush or spray with oil, then season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange face down on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn over and roast for another 10-15 minutes, or until squash is tender and cooked through.
Rice
- Cooking the rice in broth brings a lot of extra flavor to the recipe. Follow the package directions, but replace the water with vegetable broth. Add ¼ teaspoon salt.
Filling
- Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and mushrooms, salt, sage, thyme and rosemary, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened.
- Make space in the pan, add the garlic and sautee for 1 minute.
- Stir in the dried cranberries and pine nuts, and when the rice is ready, fold in 1 cup of cooked rice.
- Divide filling evenly between four acorn squash halves and prepare the crispy breadcrumbs:
Crispy Breadcrumbs
- Heat oil in non-stick pan. Add the breadcrumbs, and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 or so minutes, until breadcrumbs are golden and crispy.
- Add sea salt, and divide evenly between the four acorn squash halves.
To make ahead
- Assemble through to the filling step (leave crispy breadcrumbs off until just before serving).
- Refrigerate in a covered pan overnight or up to a few days.
- Reheat (covered) in a 350°F oven for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. Add the crispy breadcrumbs just before serving.
Kimberly
This was so good, Fiancee and I are trying to go more plant based and he loved this. Did use apple instead of cranberries, and fresh sage / dried rosemary because that is what I had, and just used a teaspoon instead but it still came out great!
Denise Bustard
Hi Kimberly! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review with your modifications. That's so helpful!