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Mushroom and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

This dish is the epitome of the  perfect fall dish.  The acorn squash is fragrant and buttery and the stuffing is earthy and savory with medicinal shiitake mushrooms, kale and quinoa along with an abundance of colorful vegetables.  Great vegetarian dish even for meat-eaters!

Course Main Course
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3 acorn squash
  • 2 C shitake mushrooms chopped
  • 2 C kale chopped
  • 2 c cooked quinoa
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1/2 large leek chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 stalk celery chopped
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • 1/2 bunch parsley chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic chopped or grated
  • 1 T oregano
  • 1 t turmeric (I used 2 t but it's preference)
  • 1 t paprika (I used 2 t of this too)
  • 2 t salt
  • 1/2 t ground black pepper
  • 1 T apple cider vinegar
  • avocado oil
  • extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

For the stuffing:

  1. Drizzle avocado oil in pan and on medium heat saute onion, carrot, celery, and leek until softened.

  2. Add in kale, mushrooms, and bell pepper and let cook for a few minutes.

  3. Then add in cooked quinoa, parsley, garlic, oregano, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper (to taste).

  4. When it has cooked down a bit (5-7 mins), add in the apple cider vinegar stirring until it evaporates.

  5. At this point, it will be so fragrant!  Turn off heat.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to add a rich flavor and make it glossy!

For the acorn squash:

  1. Rinse them and pat dry.

  2. Slice them in half crosswise.  They are so hard to cut so use a sturdy sharp knife and be very careful!

  3. Scoop out insides with a spoon.

  4. Put them in a pan, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and fill them with the filling.  The filling should be just enough for six of them.

  5. Drizzle with olive oil, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake at 375 for about 1 hour or until squash is tender all the way through.  At this point, your kitchen will smell wonderful!  Enjoy!