Welcome in fall with this Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash. Perfectly baked squash filled with wild rice, dried cranberries, toasted hazelnuts, and Maitake mushrooms for a delightful vegan and gluten-free meal.
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If you know me at all then you know that I am a crazy, wild, lover of fall.
I love it all! The weather, the sweaters, short days and cozy nights, trips to the pumpkin patch, chai lattes, holidays...friends, it's all so good. But perhaps what I love most about fall is the food. There are muffins and doughnuts, soups and stew, pasta and potatoes. I can't get enough.
Today I've got one of the autumn harvest's best offerings: squash. Specifically, a Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash that celebrates all the delicious flavors of fall. This acorn squash makes the perfect autumn meal, harvest potluck addition, or a plant-based holiday entrée.
I think you're gonna love it.
Not only is this vegan stuffed squash completely delicious, but it is also made with whole, natural ingredients. This acorn stuffed squash recipe is made with ingredients that are vegan, gluten-free, and unprocessed.
And best of all, they were delivered right to my door! That’s right. I got nearly all of my ingredients for this stuffed squash from iHerb.
What is iHerb?
I've written about iHerb several times before, but for those of you who aren’t familiar, iHerb is an online store filled with over 30,000 natural and organic products ranging from home, beauty, food, pets, supplements, personal care, and more.
iHerb carries top-quality brands – ones that you probably recognize – and ships from climate-controlled distribution centers to ensure quality products to over 150 countries around the world!
I first learned of iHerb about 6 years ago. When I found them, they were my go-to one-stop-shop for all of my unperishable groceries. Not only do they have everything I want, but also their shipping is fast and their prices are great. This is the place to buy quality and organic staples like vanilla extract, raw nuts, raw cacao, and maple syrup
iHerb is convenient, affordable, and I am certain to get top-quality ingredients. For this vegan stuffed squash, I was able to pick up the following ingredients from iHerb:
- Gourmet Wild Blend Rice
- Dried Cranberries
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Organic Rubbed Sage
- Organic Dried Maitake Mushrooms
- Raw Hazelnuts
The items were fresh, top quality, and took this stuffed acorn squash to the next level.
How iHerb works
Picking out items at iHerb is super easy. Because they only carry the best brands, you don’t have to look through a lot of products to find the good ones. Simply type in what you’re looking for in the search bar and review your selections.
Once you fill up your cart, review it, select shipping and payment methods, and you’re good to go. iHerb offers customer service 24 hours a day/7 days a week in 10 different languages, making it an easy and convenient online shopping experience.
Wanna try iHerb for yourself? New customers will get a discount off their first iHerb order with no minimum purchase by clicking here.
Remaining ingredients for Acorn Stuffed Squash
Other than the ingredients I picked up at iHerb, these acorn stuffed squash need very little else. The remaining ingredients are:
- Acorn Squash
- White Onion
- Celery
- Salt and Pepper
It doesn't get much easier than that!
How to make vegan stuffed acorn squash
Like most stuffed squash and stuffed vegetable recipes, these come together quite easily for an impressive autumnal meal. This acorn stuffed squash recipe can be made in 3 simple steps.
Step one - prepare the squash
Using a sharp knife, slice the acorn in half length-wise. (See picture below). Scoop out the seeds and the stringy membrane and generously brush each half with olive oil. Flip the squash over so that they are face-side down on the baking sheet.
Bake at 400F for 30 minutes until the squash is tender and has started to brown on the edges.
Step two - prepare the filling
To make the filling for this stuffed acorn squash, first, we must rehydrate the mushrooms. To do this, place them in a bowl of lukewarm water, fully submerging them, for 10 minutes. While the mushrooms soak, sauté the onions and celery over medium heat.
Once the onions are translucent, add the cranberries, hazelnuts, re-hydrated mushrooms, water, and spices. Stir in the cooked wild blend rice, taste and adjust seasonings.
Step three - fill the squash
Remove the acorn squash from the oven and gently flip them over so that the face side is up. Evenly divide the filling between the 4 squash, packing it down as you fill. Return the acorn squash to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes.
That's it! A delicious and impressive fall meal in just three easy steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this recipe gluten-free?
Yes, it is!
And, for a low-carb option, consider swapping out the wild rice for cauliflower rice.
Can this recipe be made in advance?
If you want to save on dinner prep time, the best option is to make your filling in advance. Store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, gently reheat the filling and cook the acorn squash according to the instructions in the recipe card below.
Alternatively, you can make this whole meal in advance. Prepare and bake the acorn squash and make your filling. Once the squash is filled, skip the 2nd bake and let them cool to room temperature. Once they are cool, tightly wrap the stuffed squash in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. When you're ready for dinner, unwrap them and heat them up in a preheated oven.
This should be done no earlier than the night before serving.
Serving and Storing
Leftover squash can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, wrap the squash in foil and reheat for about 30 minutes in the oven.
I think that’s all you need to know about making the perfect vegan stuffed squash. It’s time to do some shopping at iHerb and start making this festive fall meal today!
Wanna try iHerb for yourself? New customers will get a discount off their first iHerb order with no minimum purchase by clicking here.
Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 medium-size acorn squash, cut into half
- 3 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- 1 package (25 grams) Organic Dried Maitake Mushrooms
- ¼ cup water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup cooked Wild Blend Rice, or ½ cup uncooked
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Cook the Wild Blend Rice according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, Using a sharp knife, slice the acorn in half length-wise. Scoop out all seeds and stringy membrane. Generously brush each half with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place them face-side down onto a baking sheet and bake at 400F for 30 minutes until the squash is tender and has started to brown on the edges.
- While the squash cooks, make the filling. To begin, fill a small bowl with lukewarm water and gently submerge the Maitake mushrooms. Set aside while making the rest of the filling.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to a small sauté pan and place over medium heat. Sauté the onions and celery until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries, hazelnuts, and spices, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Stir in the rehydrated mushrooms, water, cooked rice, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Remove the acorn squash from the oven and gently turn them over. Evenly divide the filling between the 4 squashes, packing it down as you fill. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until squash is tender and fragrant.
- Top with fresh thyme and serve with a kale salad or artisan bread.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Renee says
So good! I had to use macadamia nuts and carrots instead of celery. Last minute dinner but it was delicious!! I also added regular mushrooms because I didn’t have the dried and chopped up some asparagus that was in the refrigerator. The dried cranberries were key! I actually had those in my pantry! It was so good !
Franny says
Oooh, Sarah! So glad I found this recipe. I made it to celebrate Mabon (the Autumnal Equinox) and it was perfect! All those yummy fall flavors that I love. I didn’t have dried or fresh mushrooms, or hazelnuts, so I subbed a small can of mushroom stems and pieces, and pecans. Delicious! My partner isn’t crazy about acorn squash but he really enjoyed this! Plus, we have leftovers for tomorrow. Thanks for a keeper recipe! 💖 Franny
Kim says
We made this with fresh mushrooms and added a little goat cheese. It was delicious
Frizzle says
Sarah, I just made this and it turned out great 🙂 one question though- did I miss where the 1/4 veggie broth goes? I reserved the mushroom juice and was going to use that...
Frizzle says
oh wait! I see it, sorry!! great recipe 🙂
Barbara Provost says
My daughter is Vegan and I love the recipes so I can cook for her too.
Albert says
Boy, this is gonna be on the to-do list, this week... Looks fantastic!
Just a thought, though : I know aluminium foil is a great way to easily warm food without drying it, but there are other ways of doing it without using it (I seldom have any at home, since I consider it a big problem for the environment), like Pyrex dishes (I use the same one for many purposes!) or any other ceramic recipient that will go in the oven...
Thanks for the wonderful recipes and beautiful photos!
Sarah says
Hey Albert, Thanks for your kind words 🙂 A Pyrex dish with an oven-safe lid would be a great way to rewarm food. You can also add a little water to the leftovers (like 2 tablespoons or so) when you are reheating to avoid drying out.
Erika says
Can you use fresh mushrooms and fresh cranberries?
Sarah says
Yes to mushrooms. As far as cranberries go, these are really best with the dried cranberry flavor.
Lisa says
I love stuffed acorn squash with wild rice and nuts and mushrooms! Cranberries, sage, and oregano are great additions--thank you for those!
PS: your photos are fantastic!
Sarah says
Thank you 🙂