Embark on a culinary adventure with this tantalizing dish that harmoniously blends the earthy flavors of wild rice, the tangy sweetness of cherries and apricots, and the rich, nutty flavors of cheesy stuffed acorn squash. This delectable dish is a delightful symphony of textures and flavors. The fluffy wild rice provides a hearty base, while the plump cherries and apricots burst with juicy goodness, adding a burst of vibrant color and sweetness. The cheesy stuffed acorn squash steals the show with its creamy filling, perfectly complemented by the crispy-tender squash exterior. Whether you're seeking a hearty main course or an impressive side dish, this dish promises to satisfy your taste buds and leave you craving more. With its unique combination of flavors and textures, it's sure to become a new favorite in your culinary repertoire. Also included in this article are recipes for a comforting Tuscan sausage and kale soup, a refreshing strawberry salad with goat cheese and candied pecans, and a decadent chocolate mousse with whipped cream.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
CHEESY RICE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
Steps:
- Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 425 degrees F. Put the squash, cut-side up, in a large microwave-safe dish with 1 tablespoon water; dot with 1 tablespoon butter and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and pierce with a knife to vent. Microwave until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk until smooth, then bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cheese, stirring to melt. Add the nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir in the rice and spinach.
- Transfer the squash to a rimmed baking sheet and fill with the rice mixture. Sprinkle with more cheese and bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Top with parsley.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 526 calorie, Fat 25 grams, SaturatedFat 14 grams, Cholesterol 78 milligrams, Sodium 727 milligrams, Carbohydrate 60 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 20 grams
WILD RICE, CHERRIES, APRICOTS AND CHEESY STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
Easy nice comfort food. Acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, cherries, pecans and a creamy cheesy topping. I prefer a blend of wild and white for this, but you can really use any rice if you don't like wild rice. And hey, this is the time to take advantage of the boxed rice. Uncle Bens is what I use, but there are many brands available, and I just use the quick cooking kind, but any will work. My favorite is to serve this with roast chicken, but if you want something lighter ... serve with a fresh green salad topped with roasted pears.
Provided by SarasotaCook
Categories Rice
Time 55m
Yield 4 Squash halves, 4-10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Squash -- Drizzle the olive oil the inside of the squash and sprinkle with sald and pepper. Place flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or even foil in a 400 degree oven, middle shelf for about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Just poke with a knife and it should be tender but no falling apart. Remove from the oven so you can add the stuffing.
- Rice -- As the squash is baking, cook the rice according to the package directions. But as the rice cooks, add if your garlic and shallots, so it will cook right along with the rice. TIP: I always cook my rice in broth rather than water, so if you want to add some more flavor, rather than water, use chicken or vegetable broth.
- Finishing -- Once the rice is done, remove from the heat and stir in the butter, scallions, cherries, apricots and nuts. Then stuff the squash! I fill each squash half way, and then add a little cheese, add the rest of the rice and top with the remainder of the cheese.
- Bake -- 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. This will reheat the squash, rice, and melt the cheese.
- Serve -- ENJOY! 1 squash half per person is healthy and filling. As I mentioned, roast chicken is great with this or go lighter with a salad.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 588.1, Fat 30.4, SaturatedFat 10.3, Cholesterol 34.2, Sodium 333, Carbohydrate 67, Fiber 8.2, Sugar 6.4, Protein 18.9
BLACK WILD RICE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
Provided by Katie Lee Biegel
Categories side-dish
Time 1h10m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on the lined baking sheet and bake until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Leave the oven on at 400 degrees F.
- Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the breadcrumbs, increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly, until the breadcrumbs begin to turn golden brown. Stir in the parsley and garlic salt. Transfer to a dish.
- Wipe the skillet clean. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms and leeks until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the kale and garlic and cook until the kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, currants, soy sauce, honey and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Scoop some of the mixture into the cavity of each acorn squash half and top with the reserved breadcrumbs. Bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.
WILD RICE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
A filling vegetarian main course dish, squash stuffed with stuffing and rice!
Provided by sherry
Categories Side Dish Vegetables Squash Acorn Squash Side Dish Recipes
Time 1h30m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking pans, and place the cleaned-out squash, cut sides down, into the pans. Bake in the preheated oven until barely soft to the touch, about 25 minutes.
- Make the stuffing mix as instructed on the package, and set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan, and cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook and stir until they give up their juice, about 5 more minutes. Add the rice mix and sage, and cook and stir the rice and vegetables until the vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock, stir to combine, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer the rice mixture until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Lightly mix the cooked rice mixture with the stuffing in a bowl, and pile the mixture into the centers of the squash without packing it. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and bake until the squash are tender and the stuffing is hot, about 15 more minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 187 calories, Carbohydrate 39.2 g, Cholesterol 2.8 mg, Fat 2.1 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 5.1 g, SaturatedFat 0.8 g, Sodium 637.2 mg, Sugar 4.5 g
WILD-RICE STUFFED SQUASH
Grace vegetarians at the Thanksgiving table (and beyond) with stuffed baked squash, flecked with crunchy pecans and sweet dried cherries.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Pasta and Grains Rice Recipes
Time 1h
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange squash cut side down; cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add shallot, garlic, and sage; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and 1 3/4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, without stirring, about 25 minutes.
- Remove rice from heat, and stir in cherries and pecans; season stuffing with salt and pepper. Season the inside of each squash half with salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, mound stuffing into halves, and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 463 g, Fat 17 g, Fiber 8 g, Protein 10 g
WILD RICE STUFFED SQUASH
I made this recipe when we invited both our families to celebrate our first Thanksgiving in our new home. There were 37 of us, and those who tried this dish raved about it. -Robin Thompson, Roseville, California
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Side Dishes
Time 1h35m
Yield 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400°. Cut each squash crosswise in half; remove and discard seeds. Cut a thin slice from bottom of each half to allow each to lie flat. Place on baking sheets, hollow side up; brush tops with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until almost tender, 30-35 minutes., In a large saucepan, combine rice with contents of seasoning mix, broth, sage and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed, 23-25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute celery and onion in remaining oil until tender. Stir in cranberries, pecans and parsley. Remove from heat. Stir in rice mixture., Fill each squash half with about 1/2 cup rice mixture. Return to oven, uncovered, until rice is heated through and squash is tender, 12-15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 275 calories, Fat 7g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 0 cholesterol, Sodium 593mg sodium, Carbohydrate 53g carbohydrate (16g sugars, Fiber 6g fiber), Protein 6g protein.
BROWN RICE & VEGGIE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
Feel free to vary the veggies, depending on what you have in the fridge. Can't remember where I got this; it's delicious in the Fall or for a side for Thanksgiving! (Time does not include cooking rice)
Provided by Caroline Cooks
Categories < 4 Hours
Time 1h15m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Cut each squash in half crosswise.
- Scoop out and discard seeds and strings. I.
- f necessary, trim bottom for squash to set level, and place on a rimmed baking sheet with cut side up.
- Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 teas. nutmeg.
- Cover with foil and bake squash just until moist and tender about 45- 50 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium-high heat, add olive oil.
- When heated, add onion and garlic, if using, and celery.
- Cook 2 minutes and add carrots.
- Cover and cook 3 minutes.
- Add cranberries, sage, thyme, chopped pecans, and 1/2 teas. salt.
- Add cooked brown rice and mix well.
- Remove from heat and fill center of each acorn squash half.
- Return foil over top and return to oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove and top each filled squash half with Mozzarella.
- Return uncovered to oven and bake 5 more minutes.
- Top with chopped fresh parsley, to serve.
Tips:
- Choose acorn squashes with deep green and orange coloring, as this indicates ripeness. Avoid squashes with blemishes or soft spots.
- To easily remove the squash seeds, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
- To prevent the squash from drying out during baking, place a small bowl of water in the oven along with the squash.
- If you don't have wild rice, you can substitute brown rice or quinoa.
- For a sweeter stuffing, add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to the wild rice mixture.
- If you don't have dried cherries or apricots, you can substitute raisins or cranberries.
- To make the recipe vegan, use a plant-based cheese instead of cheddar cheese.
- Serve the stuffed acorn squash with a side of roasted vegetables or a green salad.
Conclusion:
Wild rice, cherries, apricots, and cheesy stuffed acorn squash is a delicious and wholesome dish that is perfect for a fall meal. The squash is roasted until tender and then stuffed with a flavorful mixture of wild rice, dried cherries, apricots, and cheddar cheese. The dish is then baked until the cheese is melted and bubbly. This recipe is sure to impress your family and friends, and it is also a great way to use up leftover wild rice.
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