Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash with Freekeh Pilaf
An easy fall and winter recipe featuring caramelized roasted acorn squash stuffed with cinnamon spiced freekeh whole grain.
When fall is around the corner there is nothing better than seeing your favorite grocery store blooming with bins of fall colored squash and pumpkins. To welcome the last months of the year, I love to roast some acorn squash and stuff them with freekeh pilaf for a savory, filling, and healthy meal.
If you enjoy vegetable forward fall recipes, give the following recipes a try.
- cozy and brothy cajun green gumbo
- weeknight favorite pappardelle pasta with mushroom ragu
- comfort dinner lentil bolognese bake
What is freekeh?
Freekeh is an ancient grain made of wheat that is a staple in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and African cuisine. Freekeh is usually more chewy and has a toasted, smoky flavor in comparison to a grain such as farro. As with most whole grains, it is fiber rich and a great side dish to serve with any meal.
For this recipe, I’m roasting acorn squash to get a delicious caramelized coating of the squash. The acorn squash half is a vessel to serve the freekeh pilaf and is spiced with holiday staples such as cinnamon, kale, and dried cranberries. It’s a great meal to make on a weekday or to serve as a hearty main for your vegetarian friends during Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Key ingredients to make stuffed acorn squash with freekeh pilaf
- Acorn squash – I like to use acorn squash for its size but you can also substitue for butternut squash or kabocha for a sweeter flavor. To cut the squash in half I like to use my knife to poke holes around the cut line and slowly wedge my knife through.
- Freekeh – you may find freekeh at your local health food store or middle eastern grocery store. I’ve also had success ordering this online on amazon. If you’re unable to find freekeh, you can substitute with a more common grain such as farro, quinoa, or brown rice.
- Seasonal vegetables and spices – this freekeh pilaf is fall forward and uses flavors of some of my favorite holiday side dishes such as cinnamon, kale, and cranberries. You can make it your own by adding variations such as walnuts, allspice, pomegranate, and apples.
Storage
Who doesn’t like holiday leftovers? I tend to store any leftover acorn squash or extra freekeh pilaf separately in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the freekeh in a bowl with cold water while you prep the acorn squash. ~5-10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise. See notes above for tips on cutting the acorn squash. Scoop the seeds out of the acorn squash and discard.
- Place the acorn squash half face down on top of baking tray covered with aluminum foil. Optional: spray the acorn squash with some nonstick spray. Roast for 55 minutes.
- Remove the excess debris in the freekeh bowl that floated to the top of the water. Discard the water and rinse the freekeh.
- Remove the stalk of the kale and chop up the leaves. If your kale is tough I recommend aggressively massaging the kale so that it softens up. Mince the parsley leaves.
- In a small saucepan, heat up the vegetable oil over high to medium heat. Add the diced onions once the oil is hot and sautee until the onions are transleucent. Add the freekeh, cinnamon, kale, and salt. Mix well so everything is well combined.
- Add the vegetable broth into the pot and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiled, reduce down to a simmer and cover to cook for 30 minutes.
- After the freekeh is cooked, let it cool for 5 minutes before fluffing and mixing in the cranberries and parlsey. If your cranberries are larger I recommend roughly chopping them up.
- After the acorn squash is done roasting, remove from oven and let it cool before stuffing. Scoop 2-3 spoonfulls of the freekeh pilaf into the center of the acorn squash. If you prefer less squash and more stuffing, scoop out more of the acorn squash before adding additional pilaf.
- Serve with additional fresh parsley
