Stuffed Acorn Squash
on Nov 02, 2026
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Colorful and fresh, I spoon quinoa apple salad into this stuffed acorn squash. You can serve this recipe as a side dish or a vegetarian main at Thanksgiving. The quinoa also has classic fall ingredients including pecans and dried cranberries plus cheddar, all tossed in a zesty lemon vinaigrette.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It has the best combination of roasted and fresh ingredients. One part salad and one part roasted vegetable, this stuffed squash has so much wonderful variety in each bite.
You can serve it at room temperature. This is very important for Thanksgiving and other holiday meals when getting everything on the table at once can be a challenge.
Leftovers are great too. Don’t just make this roasted squash for Thanksgiving. After a few rounds of recipe testing, I figured out very quickly that stuffed winter squash is perfect for make-ahead fall lunches.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Acorn squash: Look for squash with smooth skin and no cracks or soft spots. They should feel heavy for their size. You can substitute with carnival squash or delicata squash. The skin softens as it roasts, so it’s edible.
- Quinoa: You can use white, red, black or a blend of all three, depending what you have in your pantry. Brown rice, barley or farro are also good for the salad.
- Apples: Crisp varieties like Pink Lady and Honeycrisp are always my first choice for salads, which is what I also toss in this broccoli apple slaw.
- Pecans are a peak fall nut. Toasted walnuts of chopped almonds will also work in the quinoa.
- Cheddar cheese is great with apples. I like to use a younger aged English cheddar that’s a little bit crumbly.
- Dried cranberries add a touch of sweetness. You can substitute with pomegranate seeds if you prefer something more fresh and juicy.
- Red onions add a sharp accent to the salad. You can swap with thinly sliced scallions.
- Parsley: To finish the quinoa, I also stir in chopped fresh herbs.
- Lemon vinaigrette is simple with bright flavor thanks to minced garlic, whole grain mustard, olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.
How To Make This Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Roast the squash. Rub the halves with oil and season them with salt and pepper. Then roast them cut side down until they’re tender. This will take 30-35 minutes.
2. Make the quinoa. After you finish simmering it on the stove, combine the quinoa with apples, red onions, pecans, cheddar, dried cranberries and parsley. Then whisk together the vinaigrette and stir it into the quinoa.
3. Spoon the quinoa mixture into the roasted squash halves. Garnish it with additional chopped parsley.
Serving
In terms of portion size, I assume 1 half per person as a side dish. When I make this squash a meal on its own, I eat 2 halves.
At the grocery or farmers market, you will see small, medium and large acorn squash. Keep in mind the number of people you’re serving. It might be better to buy 4 smaller squash instead of 3, especially if you have full spread of sides. Then I figure people will want to try everything, so they will eat less of each specific dish.
More Acorn Squash Recipes
Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
Roasted Squash Salad
Get inspired with my full roasted vegetable collection.
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
For squash
- 3 small to medium acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeds scooped out
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 2 apples (Honeycrisp or Pink Lady), diced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 4 ounces cheddar, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus more for serving
For vinaigrette
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon olive oil
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Rub the acorn squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Place the squash cut-side down on the prepared pan. Roast for 30-35 minutes until you can easily pierce it with a knife, and the squash flesh is fork-tender.
- While the squash roasts, combine the quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat, simmering on low for 11-12 minutes until the water has been absorbed. Remove the quinoa from the heat. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. Then fluff it with a fork and transfer it to a large bowl, giving it 10 minutes to cool.
- Stir the apples, red onions, pecans, cheddar, dried cranberries and parsley into the quinoa.
- For the vinaigrette, whisk the garlic, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette into the quinoa, tossing to combine.
- Spoon the quinoa into the squash halves and garnish with additional parsley as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
