Best 6 Middle Eastern Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipes

MOROCCAN-STYLE STUFFED ACORN SQUASHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squashes, cut sides down, in a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a 4-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, a pinch each cinnamon and nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl or plate using a slotted spoon, keeping as much cooking liquid in the pot as possible.
• Add onion, and cook until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining teaspoon salt and the bulgur, and stir to combine. Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and add reserved beef, the raisins, parsley, and pine nuts.
• Scrape out baked squashes, forming 1/4-inch-thick bowls, and fold flesh into bulgur mixture. Divide among squash halves, and return to oven. Bake until warmed through and tops are browned, 12 to 14 minutes.

MOROCCAN-STYLE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Arrange squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until tender. Dissolve the sugar in the melted butter. Brush squash with the butter mixture, and keep squash warm while preparing the stuffing.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
• Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover skillet, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Stuff squash halves with the skillet mixture to serve.

ACORN SQUASH WITH MIXED-GRAIN STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush a baking sheet with oil. Mix together 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, and coriander; sprinkle inside of squashes with spice mixture. Place squashes on sheet, cut-sides down, and roast until just tender, about 20 minutes.
• Turn cut-sides up and fill with stuffing, mounding slightly (you should use about 3/4 cup in each squash half). These can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before baking. Bake, covered with parchment-lined foil, until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve, with relish and sprinkled with toasted almonds and parsley.

MIDDLE EASTERN STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and strings. Place squash cut side down in a shallow baking dish and fill with 1/4" of water. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork.
• In the meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, whisking constantly. Watch closely as brown flecks begin to appear. As soon as the butter turns a caramel brown color and has a nutty fragrance (this should take between 4-6 minutes; do not allow the butter to turn black), remove from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the olive oil, cinnamon and cardamom. Note: Can add additional spices, like ground coriander, ground cumin, red or black pepper.
• Add the 1 1/3 cup water and quinoa to the same saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.
• Toss 2 cups of the quinoa with the seasoned brown butter, cashews, apricots and mint. Cover the quinoa mixture to keep it warm if the squash needs more time to finish baking.
• Equally divide the quinoa filling among the four squash halves. Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH STUFFED WITH RISOTTO

Steps:

• For the squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Divide 3 of the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the 6 squash halves cut-side up in a large, high-sided ovenproof skillet or pot (you may need to do this in batches or two pots). Sprinkle the cut sides all over with salt, then pour the milk into the cavities, filling halfway. Pour water into the pot until it reaches halfway up the sides of the squash. Carefully place in the oven and roast uncovered until fork-tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel, seed and dice the remaining squash. Place in a roasting pan along with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss and roast until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the risotto: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the olive oil and onion mixture. Add the white wine and stir until the liquid has absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until all the liquid has absorbed before adding another 1/2 cup. (This process will take approximately 25 minutes and the risotto will become creamy from the starch releasing.) When all of the liquid has been added and absorbed, stir in the Parmesan and the roasted, diced squash. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (If the risotto seems too dry, just add some more broth).
• Stuff the roasted squash halves with the risotto and serve.

FONIO-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and grease the parchment with some oil.
• Slice the root and stem ends off of the squash and cut each in half widthwise (through the middle). Remove the seeds with a spoon and brush the squash all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season with salt and pepper, place cut-side down on the prepared pans and roast until tender and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the squash roasts, cook the fonio filling. In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the dates and shallot. Cook, stirring, until the shallot softens, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add the fonio and stir until well-coated with oil. Then pour in the broth and add the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, cover the pan and turn the heat to low; simmer 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 4 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Fold the parsley into the fonio. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the squash halves with the fonio mixture and set upright on the parchment-lined sheet pans that you used to roast the squash. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 5 minutes.
• Uncover, top each squash half with goat cheese and turn the oven to broil. Broil the squash until browned and crunchy on top, 3 to 5 minutes.