Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

ByGetty Stewart
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A lovely wild rice stuffed acorn squash. Ooh, look how pretty, colorful, tasty and nutritious all in one!
wild rice pilaf in acorn squash
Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean your meals have to be bland – look at bright orange, green and red in this stuffing. If you’re not interested in stuffing acorn squash, no worries. This stuffing is just as tasty served as a side dish next to turkey, chicken or pork. And well, it went pretty well with pickerel dinner last night too!wild rice and cranberry pilaf

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4.50 from 2 votes

Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

This wild rice stuffing with cranberries and apples is a great gluten free alternative to traditional stuffing. It makes a tasty side dish or a spectacular attraction when stuffed in acorn squash.
Prep : 1 hr
Cook : 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Rice

  • 5 cups water
  • 3/4 cup wild rice
  • 3/4 cup brown rice
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Squash

  • 4 acorn squash

Stuffing Mix

  • 1 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 1 apple diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh sage 1 tsp dried flakes
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme 1/2 tsp dried
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley divided

Instructions

Rice

  • In large pot, combine water, wild and brown rice and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 45-55 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Some water may need to be drained.

Squash

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Wash outside of squash, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds.
  • Place cut side down on baking sheet and bake until fork tender, about 30 to 40 minutes depending on size of squash.

Stuffing Mix

  • In a large saucepan, heat oil.
  • Saute onion, celery and carrots until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Add apples and garlic and cook until soft, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in sage, thyme and pepper.
  • Add cranberries, pecans and 1/2 cup parsley. Stir well.
  • Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Assembly

  • Combine cooked rice with stuffing mix. Stir well.
  • Divide filling between cooked squash halves, mounding the filling as desired. About 3/4 to 1 cup per squash half.
  • Bake at 375°C until hot throughout, about 20 minutes.
  • Garnish with remaining parsley, serve and enjoy.

Notes

We love the little hint of tartness from the fresh/frozen cranberries, but you can also use dried, sweetened cranberries in this recipe if you prefer.
Makes 8 cups of rice pilaf stuffing
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This gluten free stuffing is a great way for anyone to get more whole grains into their diet.

wild rice and cranberry pilaf

Try this recipe with other squash as well. We tried it with butternut squash and enjoyed the sweetness it added.

stuffed butternut squash

For more winter squash recipes and information check these links:

Want to learn more? How about a Eating Healthy and Affordably All Year workshop with Getty? Or talk to Getty about hands-on workshops for your group. Getty Stewart is an engaging speaker and writer providing tasty recipes, time-saving tips, and helpful kitchen ideas to make home cooking easy and enjoyable. She is a Professional Home Economist, author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, mom and veggie gardener.

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