Mouth watering yet?! I’m excited to share the ultimate healthy comfort-food dish for the holidays with you!! And if you have vegetarians or vegans coming to your holiday party, I’ve got you covered! Although, this is a crowd pleaser regardless of diet preference. Plus, it’s pretty darn nice to look at 😉 The savory sweetness of the squash, the crunch of the quinoa and pistachios, and tartness of the cranberries create a combination to die for.
Grocery List
- 6 Whole Acorn Squash
- About 3 TBSP Olive Oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry Red Quinoa
- 1/2 cup dry White Quinoa
- 2 Cups of Vegetable Broth
- 2 TBSP Sage
- 1 TBSP Thyme
- One 8 oz. mixed package of Baby Bella & Crimini mushrooms (coarsely chopped) OR 4 oz. baby bella & 4 oz. portobella mushrooms
- 1/4 cup Sherry Cooking Wine
- 3/4 Cup Reduced Sugar Dried Craisins
- 1/2 Cup Pistachios (de-shelled)
- Fresh Cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Trim off the each end of the squash (sometimes microwaving for a couple minute before helps with cutting the squash)
- Stand the squash upright and halve lengthwise
- Scoop out the pulp and the seeds, discard
- Brush each squash half with about 1 tsp olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper
- Arrange cut sides down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet
- Roast the squash until tender (test with a fork) and the edges are golden brown, appx. 30-35 minutes
- While the squash roasts, in a medium saucepan add quinoa and vegetable broth
- Bring to boil then cover and reduce heat to low, cooking for 15-20 minutes
- Place the sage and thyme in a food processor until minced
- When the quinoa continues cooking, heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan
- Add mushrooms, sage, thyme and sherry wine to sauté pan
- Cook until mushrooms are softened
- Remove pan from heat
- Add the quinoa, craisins, pistachios, and a sprinkle of fresh cranberries
- Remove cooked squash from oven and flip over so cut side is up
- Fill the roasted squash halves with about 1/2 cup of stuffing and bake again for another 10 minutes
- Top with fresh cranberries for decor, salt and pepper to taste, and serve while warm!
**If you aren’t a fan of squash, the stuffing can be a great dish all on it’s own!
**I must say the stuffing is even better day two, so don’t be shy about digging into the leftovers (if there are any!)
Bon Appetite!!!
xo <3
Mack