Savory Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash

Thank you to the Cranberry Marketing Committee (via the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network) for sponsoring this recipe for gluten free Savory Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash! In addition to being a delicious and nutritious addition to Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving celebrations, it also makes a great fall/winter side dish or entrée.

Can you guys believe Thanksgiving is in a few short weeks?! If you’re starting to plan your menus and looking for a fun alternative to the usual stuffing, give this savory and gluten free cranberry stuffed acorn squash a try!

Cranberries are harvested just in time for the holidays, making it the perfect time to incorporate the yummy red berries into your recipes. I love cranberries not only because they are so nutritious (one serving is a good source of Vitamin C and fiber, and provides antioxidant polyphenols), but also because they are so versatile – they go well in both sweet and savory dishes. We all know and love the usual cranberry sauce (check out my easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe), but let’s mix it up a bit, shall we?

For today’s adventure, we’re going more savory with a combination of tart cranberries, earthy herbs, nutty pecans, salty feta, and sweet squash.

If you haven’t tried making a stuffed acorn squash before, it’s time to do it – it looks really fun and fancy for guests but it’s easy to make – total win!

The first step is to pre-bake your acorn squash – cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with a little oil, and bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees F.

While the squash is baking, prep your filling! Heat a little oil in a pot or pan with a fitted lid and add your onion and celery; saute for about 5 minutes or until tender, then add the quinoa, cranberries, herbs, and vegetable broth.

Bring to a boil over high heat and then cover and let simmer about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked through and has absorbed all the liquid.

Stir in the pecans, and then the mixture is ready to be spooned into your cooked acorn squash halves! Divide evenly between the squash (you may have some extra depending how big your squash is) and then sprinkle with feta cheese.

If you’re having guests over, you can pause at this step and put the acorn squash (with the filling in it) in the fridge until it’s go time – overnight if necessary. Then, the final step is to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the filling is heated through and the cheese is slightly browned.

All that’s left to do is enjoy!

Let me know how you and/or your guests like it! Here’s the full recipe.

Savory Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash

by fANNEtastic food

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Keywords: entree side gluten-free vegetarian Thanksgiving fall winter

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Ingredients (4 as an entree, 8 as a side dish)

• 2 acorn squash
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 teaspoons each fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• olive oil, as needed
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut acorn squash in half (either lengthwise or crosswise, whichever is easiest depending on the shape of your squash; it’s also helpful to cut a sliver off the bottom so the squash sits flat), and scoop out seeds with a spoon.
• Place the squash, cut side up, on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes, until fork tender.
• Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pot or saute pan that has a fitted lid. Add the onion and celery and saute for about 5 minutes, until just tender.
• Add the quinoa, cranberries, herbs, and vegetable broth. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and cook until the quinoa is cooked through and has absorbed all the liquid – 15-20 minutes.
• Stir in the pecans. Spoon the quinoa mixture into the center of the squash halves (you might have extra, depending on the size of your squash) and sprinkle with feta cheese.
• Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is slightly browned and everything is heated through.

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Hot tip: did you know that cranberries can be frozen in their original packaging for up to a year? If you find yourself with leftover whole cranberries on hand to use up, here are a couple other recipes to try:

• Spiced Cranberry Compote Oatmeal
• Fresh Cranberry and Walnut Pumpkin Bread

And if you have leftover homemade cranberry sauce (and turkey) from Thanksgiving, try my Turkey and Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette.

Love cranberries too? Feature fresh cranberries at your Friendsgiving celebration for a chance to win one of eight $500 prizes! Simply snap a picture of your recipe creation and upload it to CranberryFriendsgiving.com and to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest) with the hashtag #FriendsgivingCranberryContest to enter! (For more information and contest rules, visit CranberryFriendsgiving.com.)

Savory Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash originally appeared on fANNEtastic food | Registered Dietitian Blog | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness on November 3, 2016.

The post Savory Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash appeared first on fANNEtastic food | Registered Dietitian Blog | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness.