Stuffed Acorn Squash features roasted, caramelized acorn squash filled with seasoned wild rice, tender sweet potatoes, green apples, and more. It’s comfort food at its best!
author’s note
Stuffed Acorn Squash That Stole Thanksgiving!
I’ve said it before, but I have several vegetarian family members, so when it turned out to be my year to host Thanksgiving, I was determined to come up with the best vegetarian main option for them. I wanted something that felt just as special and hearty as turkey but also celebrated fall flavors. That’s how this Stuffed Acorn Squash came to be, and honestly, it’s become a holiday staple at my table ever since.
The roasted acorn squash gets beautifully caramelized and slightly sweet, while the filling is packed with seasoned wild rice, tender sweet potatoes, crisp apples, chewy cranberries, and crunchy pepitas. It’s the perfect mix of flavors and textures, and it looks so festive sitting on the table. Even the meat-eaters in my family go back for seconds, which I take as the ultimate compliment.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps & Tips |
|---|---|
| Acorn Squash | Choose medium-sized squash so they roast evenly. Don’t peel since it holds the filling. |
| Wild Rice Blend | A wild rice blend cooks faster and lighter than 100% wild rice. Quinoa works for a quicker option. |
| Sweet Potato | Microwave first for faster prep, or sub butternut squash cubes. |
| Apple | Granny Smith for tartness, Honeycrisp for sweet. Peel if you prefer. |
| Dried Cranberries | Swap for dried tart cherries or golden raisins. |
| Pepitas & Pecans | Walnuts or sunflower seeds work well too. |
| Onion & Celery | Dice very small so they blend seamlessly into the mix. |
How To Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Rice: It takes the longest. Use stock instead of water for maximum flavor.
- Squash: Cut, scoop out seeds, add oil, season, and roast until tender and caramelized.
- Sweet potato: Poke with a fork and cook until tender, then peel and dice.
- Sauté the veggies: Onion and celery get cooked down for flavor.
- Filling: Rice, sweet potato, cranberries, apple, nuts, and parsley all come together.
- Stuff & bake: Fill the squash halves, return to the oven, and bake until heated through.
Quick Tip
After roasting the squash, don’t turn off the oven! We return the Stuffed Acorn Squash to the oven to bake again!
Storage
- Cook rice: up to 2 days ahead. Store in fridge, fluff before using.
- Chop veggies/nuts: store separately in airtight containers.
- Assemble & bake: right before serving.
- Leftovers: stuffed acorn squash is best eaten within 24 hours (after that the squash gets soggy).
More Hearty Vegetarian Recipes:
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Video
Equipment
- Large sheet pan (15" x 21")
- Medium pot nonstick
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, see note 2
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt reduce amount if using table salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1/2 cup wild rice blend like Lundberg
- 1 large sweet potato 11 ounces
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup celery diced, about 3 stalks
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 small onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1 cup Granny Smith apple diced, 1 small apple
- 1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1/4 cup roasted and salted pepitas
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Crumbled goat cheese optional, but recommended
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Thoroughly rinse wild rice blend in a fine-mesh sieve with cold water until water runs clear. Add stock, mustard, butter, parsley, salt, pepper, and dried thyme to a nonstick medium pot; bring to a boil. Once boiling, add rinsed rice. Cover and reduce heat to low (just above the lowest low setting). Simmer 50–65 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (stir occasionally, returning lid as soon as stirring is done). Add 2–4 extra tablespoons broth if rice has absorbed all the liquid and is still not tender. Check to see if rice is done at 50 minutes and every 5–10 minutes after that. Once rice is tender, remove from heat, leaving the lid on, and let stand at room temperature 10–15 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife to cut squash in half. (I cut down the indents on the sides, cut through the tip, then pull apart to get 2 halves.) Use a large spoon to scrape out all the seeds and stringy bits and discard. Place squash halves right side up on the prepared tray. Evenly drizzle 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil over all the exposed squash flesh and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Use your hand to rub everything in, then place the squash so the cut sides face down on the parchment paper. Bake until squash is tender (flesh is easily pierced with a fork), about 35–45 minutes. Set squash aside, but don’t turn off the oven.
- Wash and scrub sweet potato(es). Pierce several times with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave until fork-tender, about 5–8 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from microwave and cut in half lengthwise. Set aside to cool slightly, then peel off the skins (they should come off easily). Once cool enough to handle, dice into very small pieces; measure to get exactly 1 cup (131g) and set aside.
- Add butter and olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, add finely diced onion and celery (see note 3). Sauté, stirring frequently, until onion begins to turn golden, about 5–7 minutes. Add garlic and stir another 1 minute. Add diced sweet potatoes, diced apple, and cranberries. Sauté another 2 minutes. Add rice and any remaining liquid in the pot; stir until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat. Add pepitas, pecans, and parsley. Mix to combine. Taste and add additional seasoning if needed.
- Flip the squash over so cut side faces up. Divide filling evenly among the 4 squashes; really pack it in; you should use all the filling (it’s okay if they’re over-filled a bit!). Return to oven and bake 15–20 more minutes or until just turning golden on top.
- Carefully remove from oven. Optionally add a drizzle of olive oil over everything, and if desired, sprinkle goat cheese on top. Enjoy while hot!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Stuffed Acorn Squash FAQs
Yes, you can eat the skin as it softens from roasting, but I usually don’t. I prefer to enjoy the squash flesh and filling, scraping right up to the skin.
Not for this recipe; it helps hold it all together!
If the flesh looks dull or smells off, it’s likely spoiled. Also, if the seeds are slimy or gray, the squash is probably bad.
what temp do you roast the squash at?
400 degrees F! It’s tricky to miss in the first step, so thanks for asking 🙂