Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberries and Pecans
Roasted acorn squash halves filled with herby wild rice, chickpeas, kale, cranberries and toasted pecans. A high-fiber vegan Thanksgiving main.
Ingredients
Squash
- 2 medium acorn squash halved and seeded
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and black pepper
Filling
- 1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend uncooked, rinsed
- 2½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 can chickpeas 15 oz, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups kale stems removed, chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries unsweetened or juice-sweetened
- ⅓ cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Bring the wild rice and broth to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 40–45 minutes (or as the package says) until tender. Drain any extra liquid.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush the cut sides of the squash with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast cut-side down on a lined baking sheet for 30–35 minutes, until fork-tender.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery for 6 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, sage and thyme and cook 1 minute.
- Add the chickpeas and kale and cook for 3–4 minutes until the kale wilts.
- Stir in the cooked wild rice, cranberries, pecans, maple syrup and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Turn the squash halves cut-side up, pile the filling high in each one and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Make the filling and roast the squash a day ahead, then stuff and reheat at 375°F (190°C) for 15 minutes. Quinoa or brown rice can replace the wild rice. Nutrition values are estimates.