Quinoa Recipe – Stuffed Acorn Squash

Quinoa-stuffed acorn squash rings are an amazing vegetarian meal. It is roasted, topped with butter, sprayed with maple syrup, and stuffed with quinoa, onions, apples, walnuts, and sage.

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total event time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6 – 9 people

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• Cooking spray or olive oil mister
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 large apple, diced
• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded old or smoked cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup cranberries, dried
• 2 tablespoons sage, chopped and dried
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium acorn squash, cut into 1/2 inch rings, remove guts save any leftover squash pieces and dice to use in the filling
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

1. To make acorn squash rings, heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Drizzle 2 rimmed baking sheets with olive oil or cooking spray. Place squash rings on sheets.
3. Cook your quinoa in broth as per the instructions and put it aside to cool.
4. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and sauté onion over medium heat. Let it cook for 10 minutes or until the onion turns brown. Add apple and let it cook until it begins to soften approximately six minutes.
5. In a larger bowl, add your cooked quinoa to the apple and onion mixture. Ensure they mix properly. Then add cranberries, sage, walnuts, salt, and pepper to taste. Heat the mixture for 3 minutes while stirring. Put it aside to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the beaten egg slowly. Make sure it doesn’t begin to cook.
6. Now using a smaller bowl, add butter and maple syrup to the mixture. Brush over each acorn squash rings tops with butter mixture.
7. Stuff quinoa mixture into the center of each ring and spray them with olive oil or cooking spray. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Serve immediately.